Similarities Between Into The Wild And Chris Mccandless

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer. I had the opportunity to go to Mexico and visit the Yucatan rainforest and this lead me to be able to explore nature and feel the peaceful impact it can have on someone 's life.

In the novel “Into the Wild”, Krakaur goes off on tangents about others similar to that of Chris McCandless. These stories all have a similar undertone that make them tie together for the duration of the book.

Chris McCandless, a unique man, embarked on the journey of a lifetime. During his adventure, he broke away from the constraints of society and he learned what is important in life. I admire what Chris was trying to accomplish by heading “into the wild”, and I can see parts of my beliefs in his. My experiences are different from McCandless’ experiences in as many ways as they are similar.

In the book “Into the Wild” their was someone named Chris McCandless. Chris McCandless was someone who followed his feelings and set out to do what he thought was right. McCandless felt that he wanted to be happy, but in order to achieve that he had to go through many challenges. McCandless went through part of his life alone because of his own feelings and at the end figuring out what he really felt. The entire events that he went through finally lead him to feeling that he had to forgive the people he left behind.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” is an excerpt from “Walden,” one of the many texts that had influence on McCandless(Thoreau). Through his various annotations and markings on texts such as “Walden,” readers are able to identify McCandless’ overall purpose for shunning society, as clearly indicated in this excerpt, which was to reach some sort of epiphany or realization about his identity and life in general. Towards the end of Chris’ time spent in Alaska, he actually does reach an epiphany, that “…happiness [is] only real when shared…” (qtd. in Krakauer 189). This statement, written by McCandless, indicates that perhaps he had become more forgiving, tender-hearted, and finally appreciated the value of relationships. Henceforth, by no means was McCandless’ journey pointless nor his death intentional, rather it led him to appreciate and live life to its highest potential. McCandless’ death, furthermore, was not a suicide because he was enthralled by the daring manner of youth. In Into the Wild, John Krakauer compares McCandless’ death to his near death experience in a similar situation and at a young age, “At that stage of my youth, death remained… abstract… I was stirred by dark mystery of mortality…” (Krakauer 155). At a certain stage of youth, one develops sense that they are indivisible, that death is only a concept, or “abstract,” as Krakauer put it. McCandless was merely a young daredevil who adored the challenge that surviving in nature, with little supplies, offered. Alexander Supertramp’s death was a definite

Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau are followers of the 19th century philosophy Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is the belief that everyone has the wisdom in them to be one with God without having to go through a priest or be in a church. Transcendentalists base this philosophy on self-wisdom, nature, and social reform. Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild shows Chris McCandless’ choices and parallels to Henry David Thoreau’s transcendental beliefs from Walden.

Chris McCandless. Who is he? I guess you could say he is the pure definition of a “transcendentalist”. A transcendentalist is a person who lives a completely different type of lifestyle than your average person, they believe in self reliance, they will always have a strong connection with mother nature, they’re individualists, and always searching for the meaning of life. McCandless went on a journey that no normal american would have thought was sane. He completely dropped put a pause to life and set off a journey to Alaska. He burnt his money. didn't say anything to his family, and just completely gave everything away. The book, Into the Wild tell’s McCandless’s epic story. But some folks don't agree with the way his death was treated.

Unlike the majority, Chris McCandless decides to leave his home and possessions, and embark on a dangerous journey to the Alaskan wilderness. In the novel, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the author describes Chris McCandless’ journey in depth to show transcendentalist ideals. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that focuses on following your heart and the idea that humans lead towards goodness, while defying against society and materialism. Many well known transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Throughout his long journey across the country, Chris McCandless proves to be a true transcendentalist through the essence of the philosophy.

In the novel Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer, it becomes apparent that some claim Christopher McCandless had “courage and noble ideas,” whereas others state that he was “a reckless idiot” and “a wacko,” but the question still remains, is he really a transcendentalist? Transcendentalism is a philosophy stating that spiritual things are much more real than material things and the basic human experience. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two of the most important transcendental enthusiasts who shaped the beliefs of this ideology. Emerson founded the Transcendental Club and led the whole movement in the mid-19th century. He, as well as his friend, Thoreau -- an avid abolitionist -- wrote strong transcendental pieces explaining

Into the Wild is a harrowing account of the events surrounding a young individual’s death by Jon Krakauer. A question is presented within this novel about whether this man’s actions make him a transcendentalist or not. Christopher John McCandless is a modern-day transcendentalist in the minds of those who wish they were, but he is only a childish rebel in the minds of those who would think of themselves as, perhaps, realists. The type of people that idolize McCandless are the whimsical naturalists that trick themselves into thinking they are somehow more self-enlightened than those who take a more reasonable and levelheaded approach to life. “McCandless...read like...an above average, somewhat histrionic

The film Into the Wild is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who rejected the consumerist society of America in order to live a more simple life. Through his travels, Chris carried essays by Transcendentalist philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, suggesting that McCandless is impacted by Transcendentalist ideals. Two key tenets of Transcendentalism that clearly influenced McCandless’ choices are the value of simplicity and the importance of self-reliance.

Transcendentalism had a deep impact on Christopher McCandless’s life as seen in the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. Christopher McCandless was especially enthralled by Henry David Thoreau, a famous transcendentalist. He read his book Walden and tried to recreate and experience self-reliance, a deep connection with nature and spirituality through his adventures.

Chris from the book “Into The Wild”,by Jon Krakauer, is a transcendentalist because he wanted to escape from the materialistic world and avoid Cytie and to do so he went into the wild.

Transcendentalism was the era of the rebellious and different, it was the age of exploring everything outside of what was considered to be normal, the age of going beyond the physical world. Transcendentalism celebrates simplicity, non-conformity, and nature, emotion is also a significant part of this movement. It was believed that if one was not led to make decisions based on their own emotions, then what would lead them? Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the first transcendentalists lay the foundational beliefs that many transcendentalists would follow. These beliefs were reflected through his writing in pieces like “Self-Reliance” and “Nature”. Christopher McCandless was a twenty-first century transcendentalists following closely in the footsteps of Emerson. He embarked on a journey into the Alaskan wilderness, that

Henry David Thoreau is one of the primary promoters of the transcendentalist movement and has been inspiring people to take on the transcendentalist lifestyle ever since the mid 1800’s. Mccandless was an admirer of Henry’s philosophy but he wasn’t as fully immersed in his work and ideals as Thoreau was to his own. His intentions were not as closely aligned to the movement as Thoreau’s and the difference between these icons are clearly visible.