Tenets Of Transcendentalism Essay

The authors Emerson, Thoreau, Krakauer, and Donovan share many ideas and themes in their writing. Emerson and Thoreau are the founders of transcendentalism. Krakauer and Donovan have their own works that relate to the tenets of transcendentalism. The works of these authors share the ideas of individuality and self-reliance. The following paragraphs will explain the works of these authors and how they relate to individuality and self-reliance. Emerson and Thoreau are stark followers of transcendental beliefs, individuality and self-reliance, and that reflects on to their literary works. Emerson wrote the work Self-Reliance which focuses on the fact that individuality is important and without it society and conformity takes control. As an example from Self-Reliance, “Society is a joint-stock company in which the members agree for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in the most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion”. Thoreau wrote Walden which also has examples of individuality as seen, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away”. …show more content…
Into the Wild explains the narrative of Chris McCandless and his mysterious death in the alaskan wilderness. Chris McCandless was a modern day transcendentalist who invented an entirely new life for himself even going as far as to rename himself Alex Supertramp. Chris McCandless disappeared in August of 1990 and according to Into the Wild, ”he intended to invent an utterly new life for himself, one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience”. This is a great example of individualism going as far as to create a new identity to be different from