The Mccandless Journey

A quote from William Bolitho states, “Adventure must start with running away from home.” Into The Wild is a true account of an individual who seeks the natural land of the Earth to develop a better life for himself. The author, Jon Krakauer, publishes the series of events that lead to the death of a young nomad, Christopher McCandless. The mysterious death of the runaway intellect was investigated by Jon Krakauer, an editor who retraced McCandless’s steps and interviewed everyone that had an interaction with McCandless or his alias, Alexander Supertramp. McCandless left everything behind, including his wealth and bright future, to start a new life as a nomadic hitchhiker. He intended to begin a life of religious philosophy to connect with himself through optimism, self-reliance and nature, a life of transcendentalism. As he traveled around the Western United States,

Christopher McCandless lived an transcendental life which allowed him to overlook the dangers and hardships of his journey detached from society.
With the positive mindset of God in every aspect of Nature, McCandless’s transcendental lifestyle was influenced by the hope of finding happiness.

On his adventure, McCandless encountered several people who guided him in the two years of his disappearance. One of these people included Ronald A. Franz, an eighty-years old leatherworker. The friendship between McCandless and Franz developed as they spent more time with each other and taught each other secret techniques. After McCandless’s departure to San Diego, they continued to write letters to one another. In one of the letters, McCandless encourages Franz to be bold and change his lifestyle. In the letter, McCandless scribed, “You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience”(Krakauer 57). McCandless’s advice demonstrates transcendentalism because of his optimism and belief in God that joy can be found everywhere. In addition to McCandless’s optimistic characteristic, he conveys a strong restriction from any form of

help.
Even as a child, Christopher McCandless led a transcendental lifestyle through self-reliance. The father of the protagonist, Walt McCandless, conveyed an intimidating and controlling figure, which led to Chris’s desire for independence. According to Walt, McCandless had natural talent. However, “He resisted instruction of any kind” that attempted to improve his skill (Krakauer 111). The child’s stubbornness portrays his value on personal experiences and self-taught over being taught by others. Therefore, Chris McCandless’s rejection towards advices from others highlights transcendentalism because it demonstrates self-confidence and self-importance. Furthermore, McCandless walked into the wild to prove that he can independently survive on his own, away from civilization.
Christopher Johnson McCandless decomposed body was found on a bus in Denali National park, Alaska. The unfortunate transcendentalist establishes a goal to live in the wild in absolute solitude to showcase that he can survive on his self-reliance. Along his journey, McCandless met Gaylord Stuckey, who gave the hitchhiker a ride as he was on his way to Alaska for a delivery. McCandless was honest with the sixty-three year old with his intentions to travel to Alaska as he explains “he didn’t want to see a single plane, no airplanes, no sign of civilization. He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, without anybody’s help”(Krakauer 159). McCandless’s intentions to survive in the nature to prove himself emphasizes transcendentalism because he attempts to immerge with nature to understand oneself, which involves his survival limits.
In essence, Christopher McCandless portrayed a transcendental lifestyle through characteristics of optimism, self-reliance, and solitude in nature. Throughout the novel, Into the Wild, McCandless displays a confident personality and convinces others to live on the edge as well. Although McCandless accepts rides and supplies from others, he does not change his objective to enter the indigenous area alone. His objective exemplifies transcendentalism because it illustrates his belief that the more time spent in nature will increase a better understanding of oneself. All in all, McCandless did live a transcendental lifestyle.