Transcendentalism quotes essay

In Into the Wild, Chris McCandless strived in extremes to be a self-reliant transcendentalist in relations to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Throughout the course of Jon Krakauer’s book, Krakauer thoroughly describes to the audience about McCandless’ life in college, before his attempt to live in the American wilderness.

Because Thoreau is a transcendentalist and believes in self-reliance, his actions also set an example of self-reliance by relying on himself to live rather than relying on others. Similarly, McCandless’s actions are like Thoreau’s in ways that transcendentalism may play a role.

The main characteristics of Chris McCandless prove he was indeed a transcendentalist because he followed the path of transcendentalism; supporting the ideas of rejection of socialization in favor of isolation by nature, the insignificance of materialistic wealth, and the importance of self-reliance for living in this world.

The poet does not wait for the hero or the sage, but, as they act and think primarily, so he writes primarily what will and must be spoken, reckoning the others, though primaries also, yet, in respect to him, secondaries and servants; as sitters or models in the studio of a painter, or as assistants who bring building materials to an architect.”