Into The Wild Transcendentalism Essay

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The Transcendentalist ideas that come from philosophers, artists, and religious thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson play a role in shaping the way people think and behave in modern society. The novel Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer and the film based off of this book are about Chris McCandless's separation from his habitual life. This story demonstrates transcendental ideas and the impacts they have on both individuals and society as a whole. He pondered questions such as how world hunger exists and why people are so obsessed with material objects. Chris went from just graduating college, constantly surrounded by people to being completely alone in Alaska. He did not agree with the acquisitive society that we live in and he wanted an escape from his toxic family life. …show more content…

An important aspect of Transcendentalism is respecting nature and viewing it as a gift. Chris used nature's resources by killing his own meat, and finding plants with the help from his books. He explored the land because he wanted to experience the allure of nature as an escape from the society he never believed in. His mother Billie said “He’d find some animal in a trap, take it home, amputate the injured limb, heal it, and then let it go again.” (108) Clearly from early on, Chris had a connection with nature and he as a human wanted to use his knowledge to help other species that were danger. A passage Chris highlighted in one of his books stated that “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” (117) He travelled to find truth from within himself, different people he met and from nature. Throughout these new experiences his opinions were not distorted by society because nature provides the freedom to be a free thinker and find that truth. Due to his interest in learning about wildlife and the comfort it provided him, Chris was positively impacted by the transcendental value of

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