Transcendentalism In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

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Transcendentalism is described a person who finds satisfaction in solitude and nature. It was a nineteenth century movement in which mean people joined. In the book Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is a transcendentalist, from the modern age, which means he enjoys the simplicity of life and deliberate living or living life with intentions. McCandless goes into the wild with the aspiration of finding himself through nature. In the eyes of a transcendentalist, they believe that natures role in life is important. Nonconformity, Self- reliance, deliberate living, confidence, and nature are key aspects of a transcendental lifestyle. When describing transcendentalist, the word nonconformity is used to define their actions. These …show more content…
Most transcendentalists feel that nature and the simplicity of the natural world are what helps them discover themselves. In Into the Wild, McCandless chooses to live in nature because he wants to be alone, and he does not want to be sedentary. He likes the excitement in life and the adrenaline that living off the basic necessities gives you (Krakauer 69). Many say that one’s life is wasted if time is not spent in nature. Emerson agrees with these ideas about nature. He says, “He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time” (595). Here Emerson believes that living with nature can truly make one happy and complete one’s life. He is a primary supporter of the transcendental lifestyle so he promotes finding oneself through nature. When transcendentalist say living in nature is a necessity, they feel the need to truly connect and see the beauty. When Thoreau speaks about nature, he believes that one needs to appreciate it and not just live in it. It is essential that to see the beauty the earth possesses to truly connect. Thoreau says, “To anticipate, not the sunrise and the dawn merely, but, if possible, Nature herself! How many morning’s, summer and winter, before yet any neighbor was sitting about his business, have I been about mine!”(767). Thoreau wants it to be clear that living in nature is not the most important part. While it does play a large role, getting to know and appreciate the beauty and simplicity of the world is the real objective. Nature plays the largest role in this lifestyle because to truly find oneself one has to know nature and its

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