Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

The transcendentalist philosophy states the idea that: individualism, non-conformity, self-reliance, frontier spirit, commitment, detachment from materialistic things, and intuition are important ideas that should almost always echo in a Transcendentalist’s life style. The idea of transcending is to live life in an unordinary way, and go beyond human invention and experiences. In an almost mirror like relationship, these beliefs are what Mr. Krakauer displays throughout the book that Chris is an individual with self-reliance, commitment, and has no desire for materials, hence revealing the proposition that Chris is a transcendentalist. In the novel, Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer depicts Chris McCandless as a transcendentalist by exposing the vivid idea that Chris is more prone to communal living and is drawn to the Frontier Spirit. …show more content…
In Chris’ long letter to Ron Franz, after exploring the land a little more, he touched base with the idea that “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality…The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon,” (57). Chris’ character and true interpretation of the world expose that life is much better when detached from the hustle of incorporation, which is truly a vivid thought of a real