Similarities Between Mccandless And Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transcendentalism started in the mid 1800s and emphasized one’s individual perception as priority over what society considered objective facts. It created the foundation from which authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Jack London drew inspiration, broadcasting non-conformity, a relationship with nature, and the concept of the oversoul. In the novel Into The Wild, Chris McCandless finds inspiration from these authors and the concept of transcendentalism, as a whole, and attempts to live out a similar journey in Alaska. Though there were many similarities between McCandless’ experience and the authors he admired, there was also stark contrasts due to the way that McCandless romanticized their work.

Ralph Waldo Emerson,

an American poet and essayist who helped establish individualism through his writings, was a key proponent in the transcendentalist movement and exhibits similarities between his experience in nature and McCandless’. For example, in Emerson’s famous essay “Nature,” he details his belief that abiding by the knowledge of the past is foolish, and society needs to truly embrace nature rather than intellect. He writes, “To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines in the eye and the heart of the child” (Emerson, “Nature”). Here, Emerson highlights the idea that individuals must form their own relationship with nature to truly understand and derive meaning from it. Jon Krakauer, author of McCandless’ story, examines the same philosophy when he writes, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (Krakauer 57). Emerson’s words about individuals needing to experience nature and establish a relationship with it, can be inferred as part of the inspiration for McCandless’ trip into Alaska. Evidently, both Emerson and McCandless employ ideas of individualism and a connection to nature, and while their journeys into nature expose these similarities, there are also clear differences between the two transcendentalists.
In perusing the two writers’ works, there are significant discrepancies in the way that they embody the transcendentalist ideals.

To explain, Emerson expresses the concept of the oversoul through his desire for people to feel connection with Universal Being. For instance in the Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, which is a compilation of all of Emerson’s works created with the help of his son Edward, he once again reiterates the importance of the relationships with other human beings in order to fully immerse oneself into nature. He discusses, “Friendship is an order of nobility; from its revelations we come more worthily into nature” (Emerson, Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 26). Indeed, Emerson continues to uphold the beliefs of the transcendentalist movement by revealing the connectedness of all people or the oversoul. However, it appears, from the way Krakauer writes about McCandless’ experience, that he instead repels the ides of social interaction and perceives it as an obstacle in his journey with nature rather than as a tool. Krakauer writes, “McCandless was thrilled to be on his way up north, and he was relieved as well-relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it” (Krakauer 55). Here, it is evident that McCandless views nature as a way out of social interaction that he sees no value in pursuing. Furthermore, Krakauer's words showcase the differences between Emerson and McCandless and how they employed the idea of the

oversoul.
Another American transcendentalist poet who influenced McCandless was Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau wrote his well-known book, Walden during a time period when he felt like he couldn’t hand the societal pressures around him and desired to live off the land in a solitary mission. Exemplifying both the transcendentalist ideas of non-conformity as well as self-reliance he writes, “When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only” (Thoreau 3). In fact, many transcendentalist supporters agree that, in order to truly develop a relationship with nature, self-reliance and non-conformity are essential to the process. Certainly Krakauer’s perception is that McCandless realized the significance of this ideal when he writes, “We like companionship, see, but we can't stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell out again” (Krakauer 19). Krakauer’s words indicate McCandless’ understanding of the importance that self-reliance brings to each individual as well as how beneficial it is to participate in non-conformity. Both Thoreau and McCandless integrate various parallel concepts throughout their lives; however, clear discrepancies also exist.
One key differentiating factor between Thoreau and McCandless is each man’s purpose in pursuing their experiences in the wild. In Walden, Thoreau explains the meaning behind his journey when he writes, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived” (Thoreau 30). Though Thoreau’s mission was experienced in solitude, his end goal was to share his findings with others in order for them to find the same inner peace. McCandless, on the other hand, was less focused on spreading the meaning of his journey to others, and more determined to rebel against everything he could. Krakauer writes about one of these instances towards the beginning of the book when he shares McCandless’ words, “Hell no…how I feel myself is none of the government’s business. F-- their stupid rules” (Krakauer 6). Here, Krakauer is warning of McCandless’ recklessness and lack of preparation, which indicates this was more of an impulsive decision designed around taking a stand against his parents and society as a whole. His selfishness and disregard for not only himself but everyone around him, makes his message seem less meaningful and more careless unlike Thoreau’s well planned journey to spread the appeal nature to others.
The works of Emerson and Thoreau, as well as Krakauer’s retelling of McCandless’ experience, clearly exemplify the ideals of transcendentalism. Furthermore, it is evident that McCandless drew inspiration from not only the movement of transcendentalism, but also from the writers Emerson and Thoreau themselves. Though, each of the writers utilize the ideals differently throughout their journeys into nature, creating similarities and differences throughout their lifestyles as well as writing. Additionally, McCandless had a tendency of romanticizing and taking out of context Emerson and Thoreau words, resulting in him having a less realistic perception of nature when he went into the wild in Alaska. Ultimately, that could have been McCandless’ biggest downfall.