Nature possesses an intrinsic wisdom capable of guiding individuals towards spiritual enlightenment and self-realization. Through the lens of transcendentalism, death is not feared but rather embraced as a natural part of the eternal cycle of existence. Through an exploration of modern and traditional literary works such as "Into the Wild," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "The Fountain," "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant, "The Song of Myself," by Walt Whitman, and "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau, it becomes evident that nature impacts the ultimate betterment of an individual, which leads to a creation of spiritual resonance and a sense of renewal through development of the self, allowing a person to conceptualize that death is inevitable and beautiful, with …show more content…
In "Into the Wild," Jon Krakauer writes, "The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun" (Krakauer 24). This quote explains the importance of embracing new experiences, often found in nature, that lead to a deeper understanding of oneself and contribute to personal fulfillment. Henry David Thoreau, in "Walden," reflects, "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" (Thoreau). Henry David Thoreau's text highlights the transcendental belief in the importance of solitude in nature as a means to introspection and self-discovery, emphasizing the transformative power of the natural world on the individual. Both quotes better emphasize the idea that immersion in nature facilitates personal growth and enlightenment, aligning with the statement that nature catalyzes the betterment of the