Into The Wild Transcendentalism Analysis

Moving out into the the woods and off the grid isn’t for everyone. For a few families, this is a way of life. This lifestyle showcases many beliefs of transcendentalism, many that are still abundantly present in society today. Transcendentalism is shown in the way people live and in the television shows like “The Boonies”. In “The Boonies”, transcendentalism appears in the ideas of Idealism/Individualism and in Nature.

According to the New York Times, teenagers listen to an average of 2.5 hours of music in a singular day. The messages coming through in each song may vary between drug/alcohol reference or transcendentalism. No matter where there is music, there is a lesson to be learned through ideas that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau created. Though transcendentalism is a relatively foreign word to most, it can be defined by using five i's: individualism, inspiration, intuition, idealism and imagination which are displayed on all platforms of music today. The different music genres may vary between music from the late 1990's and children's movies today.

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.

“Transcendentalism […] has primarily much the position of the sun […] We are conscious of it as of a kind of splendid confusion […] But the circle of the moon is as clear and unmistakable, as recurrent and inevitable, as the circle of Euclid on a blackboard” (Chesterton, 24). These words encapsulate the driving rationale of the anti-transcendentalist argument – that although individuals seek transcendentalism, they can never truly realize it, or, to compare with the sun, see it. Rather, they inevitably place attention on the “moon,” the perspicuous reflection of transcendentalism – that is, individualism – and neglect the responsibilities of society. Emerson institutes the philosophy of transcendentalism in his essay, Nature, teaching that divinity pervades all nature and humanity. Although transcendentalists would offer that man can only better his spiritual life by embracing individualism, pursuing the ideal, and being one with nature, the ability and appeal of transcendentalism to advance enlightenment upon the soul of the individual rests on the false suppositions that feckless man can achieve perfection and that nature embodies God, thus causing transcendentalism to conversely detriment the spiritual life of the individual, isolating him, prescribing his rebellion, and invigorating his selfish pursuits, simply because he confides his soul in creation instead of the Creator (Tocqueville, 482).

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement developed in the early-19 century. This literary movement based on the importance of God, man and nature, allowed numerous authors to become known. Nowadays, in a society full of innovations and in which nature is becoming less and less important, some people still feel the need to live far from the cities, in the wilderness, and still appreciate the simple things of life. Chris McCandless was one of them and decided to live a simple life by following the basic ideas of transcendentalism.

When one’s a transcendentalist, one can live in a society where one’s money and possessions don’t determine one’s status in society. Our society is heavily influenced by money and many people will rather

Living fully but simply is the key to life in a transcendentalist point of view. Transcendentalism is focused around nature and the beauty of the world rather than the horrible insights of society and the government. Chris McCandless in the movie, Into The Wild, goes on an adventure with a mindset like a Transcendentalist and seek happiness in nature. Chris is on the way to Alaska to hide away from society and the government by trying to live by himself in the forest with little supplies. McCandless gets some ideas right about Transcendentalism but also gets ideas wrong which leads to his ultimate demise.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." Transcendentalist believed in being independent and self-reliant as well as appreciating nature. Transcendentalism occurred in the 1800s in the United States. Transcendentalist believed that one should not rely on others and should rely solely on themselves. They also believe that nature was important in the world and should not be taken for granted. Artist from 2000 up to now share these common beliefs with transcendentalist. One of these artist is Trisha Yearwood who had the song Real Live Woman. Another artist who has a song that follows their beliefs is Lee Ann Womack. Lee Ann Womack has the song I Hope You Dance which also follows along with the beliefs of transcendentalist. Some of the beliefs that transcendentalist had was believing in independence and they also believed in appreciating nature and everything in it for example Lee Ann Womack sings about nature and what happens in it and Trisha Yearwood in one of her songs sings about the importance of being self-reliant and independent she also talks about social reforms and not doing things that is set up by society.

Krakauer himself agrees with such claim. Before he even begins to tell the tale of Chris McCandless, Krakauer speaks directly of McCandless transcendance. In the authors note Krakauer writes that McCandless “invented a new life for himself...wandering across North America in search of raw, transcendent experience” (Krakauer Author’s Note). To deny such a direct assessment from someone who shares so many sympathies with McCandless, is ludicrous. Krakauer also compares Mccandless to transcendentalist monks on several occasions. From the description of Chris’s “monkish room furnished with little more than a thin mattress on the floor, milk crates, and a table”( Krakauer 22), to stating that he is “as chaste as a monk” (65). Krakauer even goes

Although there are tons of poems out there that contain some of the principles, I focused on Maya Angelou and her poem Still I Rise. The poem, Still I Rise written by Maya Angelou has a main focus of self-reliance, but can express all tenets of transcendentalism depending on how you interpret each stanza. Still I Rise is a poem about Maya Angelou relying on herself and standing up for what she believes in. Throughout the poem, you can see that self-reliance is the most prominent tenet Angelou uses, using repetition to say I

In conclusion, I believe that all the tenets of Transcendentalism are important in part of life. We live and are created by nature which makes us, us. We have the free thought of a process that is not restricted by any force or rule and especially religion. We are also humans of nature that have confidence of believing in our instincts. There some people of non-conformity of being oneself rather than to go with the views of everyone else while others have an ideal or perfect world. In my life, confidence is the most important tenet to me. Confidence controls my whole world of being myself and there is also being confident in many ways. For example, being confident that I will succeed in my future and be a very well known person. There is also

This picture represents self reliance, one of the themes of transcendentalism. In today's pop culture, we lay on hammocks and read book, look at magazines, etc. Laying on a hammock is not something that a person in the 1830’s would of done, but this picture captures the essence of one of the many beliefs the transcendentalists have. They believe individuals perform at their best when they are independent and rely only on themselves; self reliance. Today in pop culture, it depends on the person, their are independent people and their are dependent people, and the boy in the picture, is an example of independent. A tree usually holds up the ends of the hammock, as it does on the left side of the cartoon. The right side of the cartoon, the boy

Transcendentalism became an official movement with the founding of the Transcendental Club in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Putnam, and Frederic Henry hedge, The group frequently published poems and articles expressing the importance of self-worth and nature. In the article “Self- reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, an understanding of the ideals of transcendentalism come

Transcendentalism is a movement that illustrates a simple concept. Society, both men and women are equal and have recognition about themselves and the world that surrounds them that "transcends" or goes above what they can taste, hear, see, feel or touch. Having this philosophy, comes over through intuition and imagination and not through logic or the senses of an individual. Society and individuals are able to trust themselves to be able to have authority over what they think is right. A transcendentalist is an individual who obtains these concepts not as religious knowledge but as a way of accepting life relationships.

In conclusion the inspiration that McCandless drew from the philosophy of transcendentalism was evident and extreme. He was inspired by the various principles that all related to his isolation from civilization and modern society altogether. Although he intended to awaken himself spiritually and separate himself from the “poison” of modern society, he only ended causing his own downfall. He took to extreme specific principles, specifically isolation from modern societal structure, anti materialism, closeness to nature, and intuition. His failure to control the severity to which he performed these principles is what caused his death. Chris was only searching for a simple escape but, due to his lack of understanding, ended up on a complex transcendental