Into The Wild Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism can be defined as knowledge of the conscience, which revealed a person’s moral duty to the world (Siemers 1). Chris Mccandless from the biography Into the Wild originally lived with his parents Walt and Billie while attaining a high GPA throughout high school and college (Krakauer 20). However, he felt trapped and didn’t like the idea of parents, he dropped everything to continue a nomadic and minimalist lifestyle while appreciating the wilderness around him. Chris Mccandless is a true transcendentalist because he believed in self reliance, perfect contentment, and was able to overcome obstacles throughout his journey.

To begin, Transcendentalism is an idea of the spirit of nature and focus on individual freedoms. Chris

Mccandless portrays many qualities as to why he can be considered a true transcendentalist. For example, after Chris’s sophomore year at Emory, he became very introverted and was very heavily into himself (Krakauer 120). In other words, this relates to being a Transcendentalist because there is a deep reflection within one’s individual self (Mcilhenny 3). In connection to that, “He was very into himself. He wasn’t antisocial- he always had friends, and everybody liked him- but he could go off and entertain himself for hours” (Krakauer 107). In the same sense, it was awkward for Chris at times to communicate with people because he was so used to being independent. All in all, Chris portrayed many actions of being self natured and isolated.
Throughout the biography, Chris always seemed to be content with his minimalist belongings and food. Transcendentalists focus on being in a state of their own pure happiness and maintain that for long periods of time (McIlhenny 3). For example, Chris was offered many necessities that he’d need in Alaska however, he was content with what he had and was very stubborn about taking things from people who picked him up hitchhiking (Krakauer 46). Similarly, Burres offered many of his belongings to Chris but Chris would give him a hard time about accepting them. Secondly, Chris worked a job at Mcdonald's while he was staying in Bullhead city. Chris didn’t like to wear socks and would take them off as soon as his shift ended (Krakauer 40). In other words, this shows that Chris was used to walking around in the wilderness with no shoes and he was content in his own way. Therefore, Chris portrays many qualities of his own happiness that leads to believe he is a true transcendentalist.
Chris Mccandless faced many challenges living alone in the wilderness and believed he could get through anything.

Chris was the one to think that he could do anything which relates to a transcendentalist who believes they can trump state laws (Siemers 2). For example, he didn’t think the odds applied to him Chris was always being pulled away from the edge (Krakauer 109). In the same meaning Chris was fearless and trusted his own intentions. Lastly Chris also overcame many obstacles from trusting his own instincts. In particular, “He’d figure out how to paddle a canoe down to Mexico, how to hop freight trains, how to score a bed at inner-city missions. He figured all of that out on his own, and I felt sure he’d figure out Alaska, too” (Krakauer 46). In the same sense Chris could overcome any obstacle in nature with the highest confidence in himself. As a result, Chris Mccandless faced many challenges, however with his courageous acts he could get through anything in the wilderness.

Chris Mccandless can be seen as a transcendentalist however, some people may argue that he is not. For example, some could say that “Christopher Mccandless as another boy who felt too much, a loopy young man who read too many books and lacked even a modicum of common sense.” However, that is not the case. Chris chose to live minimally and be one with the land while relying on himself to face challenges that came his way (Krakauer 184). Therefore, Chris can be seen as a true transcendentalist because he can make do with bare minimum while living with a

purpose.
All in all, in the biography Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, he portrays how Chris Mccandless lived a fearless lifestyle as an independent man who only focused on the essential ways of adventuring. Henry David Thoreau once said “All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself” (Krakauer 47). Chris Mccandless appreciated the wilderness that surrounded him. He can be seen as a true transcendentalist through the pure focus on himself, the constant satisfaction his surroundings brought to him and the way he overcame the many challenges he faced throughout his journey.