Chris Mccandless Transcendentalism Analysis

Improved Essays
Henry David Thoreau once wrote "If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man." This statement is important in the Chris McCandless case on whether he is a transcendentalist or not for the reasoning that if you do not live the way you are supposed to, based on nature, you will ultimately die. Thoreau was considered a true transcendentalist; but when you really study him you will see how he does not match with all of the beliefs of a transcendentalist.
Transcendentalists have unspecific complex beliefs and aspects that classify them. Transcendentalists are not all on a strict set of rules. They do not all have to agree on the same things. In this case, you could say Chris McCandless is not a transcendentalist. In general,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Christopher Johnson McCandless was a bright, young man from a well-to-do family; whom after graduating college, donated all of his money to charity, gave himself the alias, ‘Alexander Supertramp’, and briskly set off to venture into the wilderness of Alaska. With these events of his life left behind, McCandless embarked on symbolic journey, not just to live off the wild, but use his journey as an emblem of a modern day transcendentalist that he set out to be. McCandless used this expedition as a way of his self-proclaimed statement of not adhering to society’s boundaries. McCandless was a self-reliant, non-conforming young man who went into the wild to find his true calling, these particular traits being used to define him as a modern day transcendentalist. Chris was a unique young man who found deep appreciation for being independent and isolated from societal norms.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris McCandless can be seen as a Transcendentalist hero because of his curiosity for what life could possibly hold and integrity for others. In the eyes of the author Jon Krakauer throughout the book Into The Wild. In the eighth stanza of A Psalm of LIfe, this quote is used; “A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again”. This quote interprets living a life everyone will remember and set an example. “ Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail" (Emerson). Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that occured in the early nineteenth century. In the movie "Into The Wild", Chris McCandless followed the ideas of many trascendentalist. Transcendentalist beliefs were centered around nature, god, disconnecting from society, and living the life style as a mimimalist.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris McCandless: A True Transcendentalist Transcendentalism. The abstract concept of living a simple life, devoid of the mindless pleasures and sins of mankind, in favor for a life of peace and individualism connected with Nature. It emphasizes on finding one’s self and to not conform with society. Chris McCandless’s actions and his view on life .…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite the generational differences shared between Timothy Treadwell and the development of the transcendentalist movement, their beliefs of using nature as a way to transcend above the constraints of society, surmounts their generational differences. The fundamental principles of the transcendental movement are based on the idea that one can rise beyond the superfluous materialistic limits of society by reconnecting with nature and by living simple life. Similarly to the transcendentalist, he transcended or rose, above the constraints of society by defying the established boundary between humans and animals by immersing himself in natural habitat surrounded by bears. Despite the disapproval of others, Treadwell remained unyielding towards protecting…

    • 230 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Some say McCandless was stupid for going out into the wilderness without knowing what he was doing. But he wasn't, yes he had errors that cost him his life but he enjoyed the journey. There are many critics and non believers who doubt that he did not find what he was looking for but we can not be sure if he did or not. He wasn’t mentally ill but he did have things in his mind he needed to sort out. Like Krakauer says, McCandless was something else, though no one exactly knows what he was.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One major idea of Transcendentalism is non-conformity. Nonconformity is the refusal to follow a preexisting and prevailing rule. An example of a nonconforming action would be Thoreau refusing to pay a tax and going to jail for it, because he didn't believe in the Mexican War. This shows that if one believes in a cause, one must stand up to it, but also accept the punishment that comes along with it. A modern example would be the Black Lives Matter movement.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris McCandless was a person who left one life and entirely started a new one. He believed in many ideas the Transcendentalists believed in, and lived his life based on that. Chris McCandless was an adventurer who wanted more from life than society gave him. He was an idealist who did what he always wanted to do, made mistakes and rejected personal relationships. Some may say Chris McCandless was simply suicidal, or just plain stupid.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Transcendentalism is an idealistic approach to identity, nature, humanity, and divinity. The themes derived from Emerson and Thoreau center on this transcendental view of self-reliance and nature. In Thoreau’s Walden, he uses key points Emerson shows in Self-Reliance. The two men carry a great influential impact on society showing ideas of non-conformity, infancy, identity, the meaning of self-reliance, and an overall connection to nature. Emerson and Thoreau teach what purpose nature has to several aspects widely known in society.…

    • 2499 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which no outlets in our quiet life”(15). This quote emphasizes that nature is essential to one’s existence. Nonetheless, making sacrifices for what you love is a true passion.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Transcendentalism is a rejection of the past, which only teaches conformity. To be “real men,” Emerson argued,” we must be and act as individuals.”…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau were both adventures that went out on their own in the wild. They had some similarities for why they isolated themselves. They also had some difference in how they prepared for going out. Only one of these people found success in their quest. They had to overcome different weather patterns and other obstacles.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Transcendentalists believe in a core spiritual connection, which is between God, Man, and Nature. McCandless values both the supreme deity above and the natural environment around him with a great respect for nature and its spiritual connection with God, and therefore talks about it often. In a letter to Ron Franz, McCandless expresses his delight for God and nature by saying how much there is to life, encouraging Franz to adventure more often: “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” (57).…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Transcendentalism is a very formal word that describes a very simple idea. People, men and women equally, have knowledge about themselves and the world around them that "transcends" or goes beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or feel. This knowledge comes through intuition and imagination not through logic or the senses. People can trust themselves to be their own authority on what is right. A transcendentalist is a person who accepts these ideas not as religious beliefs but as a way of understanding life relationships.…

    • 1892 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Transcendentalism” Nature In this essay i will be giving examples of transcendentalism from two articles that i read. those two articles are, From Nature, and Self-reliance, they are both written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I will be choosing out some quotes that relate to transcendentalism and explain why they relate. I will be giving examples of five different type of categories.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays