Essay On Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

Imagine dropping everything you had and all you’ve ever lived for to go on a journey that could enable you to reach a lifelong goal you’ve always had. The downside is that it would not be a simple journey, but a journey that would be very difficult, painful, and could even result in your own death! Would you do it? Would you risk your life in order to achieve a single goal? Chris McCandless would do it, and he did. Chris McCandless was a bold character in the book, Into the Wild. McCandless was a very intelligent man who had big dreams in mind that he was determined to achieve. On Tuesday, April 28, 1992 he set out on a journey striving to, one day, reach the Alaskan wilderness and live off the land for a few months before returning home with satisfaction. McCandless didn’t tell very many people about his journey, not even his family members! The reason behind this is not made very clear, however, we do know that he was a man that embraced transcendentalism and strongly believed in his capabilities. Transcendentalism is 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. There are five transcendental keys and Chris McCandless managed to accomplish all five of them, numerous times, through his …show more content…
However, he died of starvation in Alaska and did not complete his journey. In the eyes of some, his intentions were misunderstood, but I believe he was a bright person who strived so deeply to accomplish a dream that was just out of his reach. The important outcome of his trip is that he did survive for many months and pushed himself beyond the point in which many others do. Although his overall goal was not reached, I, unlike others, would not consider McCandless a failure. In my opinion, his actions were bold and he, instead of a failure, will go down in history as a true transcendental