Transcendentalism In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

A Soon to Be Transcendentalist What is a transcendentalist? How is Chris “Alexander” McCandless a “true” transcendentalist? A transcendentalist is someone who believes in a philosophy that consists of being a non-conformist, being one with nature, and rejecting materialism. Throughout Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, it just occurs that McCandless achieves all of the above.

Throughout Chapters 14-17, Jon Krakauer tends to walk in Chris’s footsteps, trying to mimic Chris’s difficult journey. I think the approach of alternating between Chris’s journey and his is very successful in that the audience is able to better visualize Chris’s journey. For instance, Krakauer writes about his relationship with his father and the striking similarities that this relationship has with Chris’s insufficient relationship with his father, Walt. This instance helps the reader understand that Chris was not the only individual who was deeply afflicted by his father’s action and decided to throw his relationship with his father in the waste bin. Rather, by describing Krakaeur’s own experiences as a youth, he wishes his readers to understand

Chris strived for freedom and release from his household and society itself, to achieve that he sought to the woods to live a positive and beautiful existence on the earth. The blog post “Note from Carine McCandless” by Carine McCandless is the most likely interpretation of Chris McCandless’s life and his choices. Carine explains and supports what led up to Chris McCandless making the decisions he made. Carine, who grew up, lived, and most likely spent the most time with Chris, will have the most truthful information and experiences. The experiences that Carine has gone through in the McCandless household are very close to what Chris could have experienced which led up to the decisions he made.

Mccandless’ Odyssey of Solitude “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society” , Emerson on Nature. In the biographical narrative, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, an unprepared teenager, walks into Denali, Alaska and never returns. After McCandless’ body is discovered in Fairbanks Bus 142, Jon Krakauer follows McCandless’ footsteps in an attempt to learn what he did and why. Krakauer discerns that McCandless’ ideas and philosophies were closely aligned with the teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both Emerson and Thoreau are pioneers of Transcendentalism, the belief that the reality of oneself is discovered through nature.

No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become Lost in the Wild (Krakauer)”. Chris is getting way from the all the things that that he doesn't need and he becomes more free and is able experiencing life. Therefore leaving the a materialistic life one can enjoy the little things ,and the little thing are what counts.

Transcendentalism is commonly seen everywhere. It can be seen in pieces of literature, in plays like The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail, and even in speeches from famous leaders like “ A Time for Choosing” by Ronald Reagan. Transcendentalism is a different way of thinking in which you focus on yourself rather than society. As a transcendentalist, you focus on simplifying your life, being confident in yourself, and not conforming or listening to society. You focus on the importance of nature and believe in a higher power.

Chris decided to leave his entire life behind. He didn’t tell anyone where he was going and what he was doing and only briefly mentioned to his sister his plans. He changed his name to Alex so no one could try and find him. Jon Krakauer perfectly described Chris that showed his young, native and arrogance, “[Chris] was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic (Krakauer 155) ”. He really left one day without any real preparation and had this romanticized idea of what it was he was doing and thought that he was enough.

Again in May, he wrote in a journal entry, “I am reborn. This is my dawn. Real life has just begun” (168). Being in nature caused Chris to feel a certain type of contentment in the unpredictability of the wilderness, more than anything in a poisonous society could. He found that although it could be exhausting to live on his own in the Alaskan wilderness, it also energized and revitalized him after living in a toxic environment for twenty two years.

"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 that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer.

Chris went off after he graduated college and “lived off the land”. Chris would travel to the coast of Mexico, the plains of Kansas, and the dunes of Nevada. Chris went on a final expedition to Alaska that cost him everything. In the following paragraphs I will fully detail how Chris was reckless, selfish, and naive. I will also explore how Chris tied his life to the beliefs of transcendentalism.

Kevin Sun Mrs. Cohen English 2CP --D February 22, 2018 Another Perspective The film Into the Wild is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who rejected the consumerist society of America in order to live a more simple life. Through his travels, Chris carried essays by Transcendentalist philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, suggesting that McCandless is impacted by Transcendentalist ideals. Two key tenets of Transcendentalism that clearly influenced McCandless’ choices are the value of simplicity and the importance of self-reliance.

In the short story, “Death of an Innocent” by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless travels into the Alaskan wilderness with the intention of relying completely on himself. In the true spirit of transcendentalism, McCandless travels to escape the bounds of society and to remove himself from a materialistic world. Many argue, however, that Chris McCandless was not a transcendentalist because he travels to exotic lands as a means of avoidance, but actually, Chris McCandless is the epitome of a transcendentalist. Transcendentalists, however, rely on themselves and nature to survive and do not depend on material items. Transcendentalists romanticize individualism and believe that intuition is the best guide through life.

Was Chris McCandless a true transcendentalist? Transcendentalism is a system developed by Immanuel Kant, based on the idea that, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures. In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, McCandless is viewed as a transcendentalist.

Into the Wild tells the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who embarked on an adventure across the U.S. Chris lived for adventure, and sadly met his demise in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris’ death brought about a large debate as to whether Chris was insane or simply idealistic. Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to prove Chris’ sanity and soundly completes that task by using rhetorical devices to persuade his audience. Throughout the book, Krakauer uses ethos to develop Chris’ credibility by providing examples of people who are similar to him. For example, Krakauer provides multiple examples of people who were very similar to Chris, such as Everett Ruess.

In the 19th and 20th century transcendentalism was a new and exciting topic that caused tremendous controversy. In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless was a man with a very unique character. In more detailed words Chris McCandless was a transcendentalist. His actions and moods played a big part in his life, from beginning to end. He was a transcendentalist because of his self-reliance, confidence and non-conformity.