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Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

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There are many common themes that run through transcendentalism literature. In the book Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless goes on a journey any transcendentalist author would be proud of. The theme threaded throughout the book is that of following an individual's heart to make decisions. McCandless lived his life in an unusual way that veered away from society norms, and surprised most of the people he encountered. One such person was Gallien, “This [the Stampede Trail], Alex announced to Gallien, was where he intended to go. Gallien thought the hitchhiker’s scheme was foolhardy and tried to dissuade him...But he wouldn’t give an inch” (5-6). This demonstrates Alex’s commitment to his heart’s wants regardless of the logic against it, and once his heart made the decision to go to Alaska he would have to follow it. He achieved happiness and found a place he felt at home with. Chris …show more content…

“Sometimes he tried too hard to makes sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often” (18). His personal identity is tied so much with his childhood and his parents. Chris was unable to comprehend why his father had done so many wrong things. His heart led him to search for the answer throughout his adventures, making him the man he was. “He intended to invent an utterly new life for himself, one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience. To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life” (22-23). His adventures were a fresh start, a clean state to his flawed existence. His identity now solely what his heart dreamed up. He was very successful in doing so, and thus a new identity was fabricated Alex Supertramp. Overall Chris McCandless ultimately meant to leave the evils in the world, guided by his heart he created a new life for himself regardless of the

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