Essay On Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

Not many people take the time out of their day to just sit and think. They could even just think about nothing. Sometimes nothing is the most anybody can even think about. Though most people are ensnared in their ever-growing schedules, others do take the time to just think about nothing. Some even spend their whole lives thinking about nothing except the reason for their existence. I’ve always admired people that do this, but I, too, am much more concerned about my daily tasks. In Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild, the story of Chris McCandless’s transcendentalist journey through the continental U.S., shows just how much there is to gain from living this type of lifestyle. I do believe that the transcendentalist lifestyle is still valuable in the 21st century.
Notably, living a life with a spirit of rebellion in one’s heart and the wind at their back is a very thrilling experience. Before McCandless’s adventure, he talks about how he doesn’t want to receive gifts from anybody. “I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.” (21). McCandless doesn’t want to be chained down by his parents because they think he owes them something. Everyone could take a page out of McCandless’s book of freedom and maybe learn a thing or two.
“--so he had plenty of downtime on the job, just sitting on his butt inside his rig, daydreaming,...” (85). McCandless would regularly just zone out even when he had important things to attend to, such as working the job he’s paid to do. With the intention of doing as he pleased, McCandless did far more than what one might think based on an objective perspective. Henceforth, to one that may choose to just do nothing, know that there is much to be gained in doing