Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

In the beginning of the story Chris has an opening speech about when he was in high school and had to sit and listen to speakers at assemblies and thought it was a

After that accident, Chris realized that what he was doing was destroying his life. He didn’t have a relationship with his children and his wife didn’t talk to him. The drug addict went to a rehabilitation

In Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakauer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.

Chris has a selective group of friends that he really enjoys himself with. When one of

He succeeded in getting good grades at school but defied the rules his teachers laid out for him. Chris learned guitar, piano, and french-horn as he was growing up. He later became a talented French-horn player, and was a member of the American University Symphony. Chris succeeded in forming a strong bond with his sister, Carine. Carine remembers him as her best friend. He was always there to protect her. Chris did well when he played sports. He never kept up playing them though, because he didn't agree with the rules and techniques. In high school, Chris was the captain of his Cross Country team. He set standards for himself to run his best. If he didn't succeed, he would be disappointed with himself. Chris thought he could do anything, all it required was for him to decide to do it. He once told a friend that they could raise the money to travel to South Africa to fight apartheid. On the weekends, McCandless would stay away from trying to sneak into bars, and instead talk to homeless people and prostitutes. Chris succeeded in trying to improve their lives. During Chris's junior year, he was hired by a building contractor and became a successful salesman. He was a prized

Chris also realizes that material things are just that and nothing else in life. Chris

Thesis: Chris McCandless has found the meaning of his life with inspiration of Emerson's quote, “The foregoing generations beheld God and the nature face to face; we, through their eyes. Why should not we also enjoy an original relation to the universe (“Nature” ). He has found this by trusting his decisions, living alone in Alaska, and seeing life through his own eyes rather than the eyes of others.

While the end of his journey is met with death, Chris shows to have been happy with his “odyssey”.

With everything Chris and his son went through it would seem almost impossible to be optimistic in that situation. Optimism was a crucial factor in his successes. It brought him to a place where life was better, allowing him to overcome dire circumstances despite the doubts of others. When his wife left him, it seemed it would be impossible to survive with the internship that gave no salary. It seemed like their life would take a turn for the worse. However, the optimism and belief that Chris had in his abilities led to him finally being able to defeat the negative outlook of others on his choices. His positive outlook on his situation gave him the strength to beat the odds against him. His chances to get into the internship seemed very little, but he had hopes to make it in. The day of his interview, he did not have time to dress appropriately, but he took his bad situation and turn it into a positive

Throughout history, people encounter a stage in their lives where they feel the necessity to assert their independence and challenge their abilities and self-worth. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the author shares his understanding and kinship with the main character, Chris McCandless, a young man who thrusts himself into a life of solitude and a harsh environment during his search for meaning to his life. Krakauer depicts himself and McCandless as modern day transcendentalists with an abundance of competency, resourcefulness and skills as naturalists. Although McCandless chose to experience a life of solitude and face the hazards that nature presents, his lack of preparedness prevented him from completing his endeavor successfully.

Chris is a charismatic young man, but takes extensive measures to ensure he does not become too close with anyone. By going out into the wild without so much as a letter to his parents,

his dreams, she must have felt abandoned at the least. Chris was able to thoroughly damage his parents

All three help Chris reach Alaska after initially discouraging him because Chris earned their friendship with his values and not theirs. Much like a father Ronald questions Chris on his decision to leave home but while Chris is happy being independent Ronald's life is empty. He loses his family while serving his country and lives alone. Believing in duty to his country has left him with no relationships. Ronald wants happiness so after receiving a letter from Chris Ronald changes his life, emulating Chris’s transient lifestyle by living out of a trailer. Ronald is grateful to Chris for persuading him to cast off his self-imposed bonds and find happiness in new experiences. When Ronald finds out about Chris's death he, "[renounces] the Lord, [he withdraws] church membership and [becomes] an atheist" (60). Ronald thinks there must be no God if someone like can die from starvation. The strength of Chris’s belief in his world view made him an inspiring and magnetic person.

     During Chris’s journey he never really opens up to anyone about his family. He doesn’t really show any affection towards them and if any it would be toward his sister Carnie. He writes in a letter to her stating that he is going to divorce his parents. The last time his parents saw him was after his graduation. Chris told his parents “ I think I’m going to disappear for a while” and that is the last they ever heard of him again.

Another burden Christopher’s family laid on him was a massive amount of guilt. As mentioned above, Chris felt responsible for the ‘abandonment’ of Walt’s ex-wife and her children. Carine writes, “From the time we were small children, still unaware of how children come to be, I remember Chris being consistently told through our mother’s tears that the family struggles began with his birth, when she became ‘stuck’ with our dad. Chris carried this unfounded guilt with him until the wisdom that comes with age resulted in feelings of betrayal and eventually anger. This mislaid blame was never rescinded, only ignored.”3 Carine, Chris’s youngest and only natal sister, believed that the painful and unbearable family life that they endured provided Chris with a just reason to abandon his life. She respected this part of his motivation for leaving,