Into the Wild essay
It’s not rare for people to romanticize nature and its simplicity. History shows that man, often perplexed and worn of the complications of human society will often seek refuge in nature as a way to achieve a simple happiness that that living in everyday, human society can not bring them. A modern day example of this is Chris McCandless who, in 1990, set fourth on a three-year journey across North America on his own, living on almost nothing. Unfortunately Chris’ journey came to a tragic end when he was found dead of starvation in the Alaskan brush. Though tragic, Chris’ journey caught the attention of many and became the subject of Jon Krakauer’s 1996 novel Into the Wild. However interesting Chris’ story is, many of his quest for simplicity and true happiness is not the first of its kind, as he was in many ways following in the footsteps of the leaders of the transcendentalist movement that took place almost two hundred years ago. At the forefront if the 19th century transcendentalist movement was Henry David Thoreau, a Harvard graduate that lived who lived his life by many of the same values that Chris carried in his travels. One particular similarity in the lives of McCandless and Thoreau was their attempts to escape society through nature.
The similarities between Thoreau and McCandless start with their origins. Both Thoreau and McCandless came for very respectable sections of society. Thoreau had shown brilliance as a young boy and was on a path toward a great future studying at Harvard University but would remain unemployed for the majority of his life. Similarly, McCandless’ family was fairly wealthy, and had just graduated from Emory University in Atlanta when he embarked on his travels. Chris’ departure, though carefully planned shocked his family as he had purposely led his parents to believe he was prepared to come home just before leaving and cutting all ties with his former life and disappearing. Both men left their expected paths behind in order to search for a higher purpose they believed lied in nature. Among this higher purpose both McCandless and Thoreau searched for were the principles detailed in the early existentialist values. Among these values were self-sufficiency, individualism, a close relationship with nature, and the recognition of the importance of intuition, which transcendentalists viewed as the key to freeing ones mind. Finding that these were impossible to find in society Thoreau claimed he, “sat at a table where rich food and wine were in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not.”(Into the Wild, 117) This shows Thoreau’s belief that truth and sincerity are often absent from society. Strong evidence from Krakauer’s novel suggests McCandless had many of the same feelings after discovering that his father had secretly had another family in California. McCandless’s feeling toward his father caused him to “denounce him as a sanctimonious hypocrite” (Into the Wild, 122).
The Essay on Thoreau Views On Nature, Society, And Man
Henry David Thoreau’s life began on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. At a young age he began to show an interest in writing. In 1833, at the age of sixteen, Thoreau was accepted to Harvard University. Although his parents could not afford the cost of tuition, his family offered to help with the funds, and in August he entered Harvard. In 1837 he graduated and applied for a teaching ...
The feelings toward his father, often is seen as the spark that ignites McCandless’ personal rebellion against society and search for truth.
Along with the similarities between Thoreau and McCandless there are also some notable differences between the two. While McCandless shared many of Thoreau’s beliefs such as self-reliance, individualism, a close relationship with nature and the power of intuition, there are differences in their motivation. Over the years of his near isolation, Thoreau wrote over 20 volumes of literary works including essays and poem. This shows that Thoreau did not only want to find happiness for himself, he also wanted to reach the public through his literature, convincing them to choose their own path according to the existentialist philosophy so that they too, can live their life to the fullest. It seems as if Thoreau tries to make and example of his life. Upon beginning a two-year experiment living in the woods Thoreau explains in one of his most famous essays that he “went into 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… to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world…” (Walden) Aside from advice he shares with a few of the people he shares with a few people such as Ron Franz who he urges to embark on a “vast array of new adventures and experiences” ( Into the Wild, pg 58), Into the Wild gives no hints that McCandless ever intends to publish his story.
The Essay on Wild Men Thomas Death Poem
Don t Give In Dylan Thomas s poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", is an urgent plea from Thomas to his dying father, and all men not to give in to death. Thomas uses himself as the speaker to the make the poem more personal. The message of the poem is very inspirational. Throughout the poem, Thomas uses different imagery and language to illustrate the tension between action and inaction. ...
This leads me to believe the McCandless, “went into the wilderness to explore the inner country of his own soul”(Into the Wild, page 183) rather than trying to report his experience to the world as Thoreau intended. Further evidence of this can be seen in Chris’ own writing where he states where he claims, “ I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country with the possibility of being useful to people whom it is easy to do good.”(Into the Wild, page 169) This quote from Chris’ journal reflects the idea that his time in the woods was spent searching through his own soul, while Thoreau was searching through nature as a way to make sense of the world.
Plenty of evidence supports the idea that the similarities between Thoreau and McCandless show that the call of the wild will always entice man. Both men took their beliefs to the extremes to the extremes in their lives while making powerful statements about the inner sanctum of our soul, society, and man’s ability to find refuge in a deep connection with nature.
