First, Christopher McCandless believes in the concept of non-conformity, a major component of the transcendentalist philosophy. Ralph Waldo Emerson writes in his essay, Self Reliance, that, “Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist . . . Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind” (Emerson 15). Individuality and freedom of choice is the key to one’s life; moreover, imitation of others leads to destruction of self and inventiveness. McCandless pursues his own path of expression in multiple ways, one being his decision to alter the persona he was given at birth. “ . . . [McCandless intends] to invent an utterly new life for himself . . . To symbolize complete severance from his previous life, he [adopts] a new name . . . Alexander Supertramp” (Krakauer …show more content…
McCandless heavily pursued to words of Emerson and Thoreau to best accomplish his desires of individuality and spiritualism. This guiding philosophy leads McCandless along in his journey to self exploration. McCandless may not have live a perfect life by some standards, but he pursues a one based on his own