Living the Simple Life, midterm report, Emily Gore, Sec.11, Group 2, Post 3 of 3

Henry David Thoreau

Into the Wild

If you have not read this book or seen the movie, you should.

This depicts the story of Christopher McCandles, later known as Alexander Supertramp. He embarked on his excursion for the Alaskan Wilderness soon after graduating with honors from Emory College. He rid himself of all his possessions and sought solitude. 

Trailer for the film

"I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth." - Christopher McCandless (from the film)


Throughout the story he discusses topics such as:
~Society and how innately bad he thinks people are
~Putting a price on nature
~Not needing human relationships for happiness
~Self-sufficiency


Sounds about like the Transcendental beliefs (besides thinking people are naturally evil). 
Thoreau was one of the writers Christopher looked up to. He took his words to heart and his idea of leaving society for solitude. 

However, through not being fully prepared for his journey, he does not survive in the Alaskan Wilderness. Many have criticized him for his lack of preparation and overconfidence in trying to survive such harsh conditions with no help. When Thoreau went on his 2 year "break" from society, he was merely on the outskirts of town. He still had visitors to his cabin and went to town every now and then.

"Happiness is only real when shared."

This is one of the last things written by McCandless. He had wanted solitude, but after 113 days, he was longing for someone.