Transcendentalism: Ralph Waldo Emerson And Henry David Thoreau

Transcendentalism is the idea of nature connecting every idea and concept. Writers who created this movement include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a great American thinker during the transcendentalist movement. The ideas expressed in the philosophical writings of Emerson influenced Henry David Thoreau to join the revolutionary way of thinking. Years later a 20 something, Chris McCandless left a life of privilege in order to follow the ideas and writings of Emerson and Thoreau and went to live in Alaska to find out the true meaning behind the works of these philosophical thinkers. McCandless looked up to Emerson and Thoreau and did everything in his power to live a true transcendentalist lifestyle by living

Emerson and Thoreau believed in transcendentalism which is, “the belief that some truths transcended proof reflected both a reaction to growing American materialism and a confidence in humankind that led to social experiments and reform movements and continued to social movements through the 20th century” (Loveland). This belief is felt by going beyond the truth one can see and the five senses to form the emotions in which one can feel (Transcendentalism). Those who follow transcendentalism are placing their own experiences into the category outside of the reasonable limit which can be described as the organic universe surrounding us. One experience someone could have is related to faith which falls outside of the instinct level of transcendentalism (Loveland). Transcendentalism identifies a “trinity” of God in which there is a great importance and emphasis in how humans have to work for what they truly deserve in life (Goodman). Their main priority of how to live a transcendentalist life is to reject social norms in order to unify humankind

By leaving society behind and cutting all relations with loved ones and friends, these men have gone out to find their true meaning in life while consulting nature for the answers of right, wrong, and just actions in which to take their life back into their own hands (Krakauer; Loveland). By disassociating with the items in which many people associate wealth and status, McCandless and Thoreau are able to acquire self discipline in the actions they take for themselves (Krakauer; Transcendentalism). McCandless was drawn to the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau. He chose to follow some of these ideas along with a few ideas which he did not follow but all of them say something unique about McCandless. One of the rules that McCandless followed was the no materialism aspect of transcendentalism. He followed this as best he could because of the nature of where McCandless was in the wild. By using materials and resources around him to make life as simple as possible with as little items he was able to achieve this idea (Loveland;