Metaphor Over Experience: Transcendentalist Were Wrong Essay Sample

Christopher McCandless was a young man who sought to live a life of self-dependence and personal experiences, much like the Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau preached. However, McCandless was ultimately hypocritical in his actions, as he did not follow the very same principles he believed in. Emerson preaches that one must go out into the wilderness and find oneself, a notion which McCandless attempted to do. However, Emerson has never physically escaped to the wilderness, unlike McCandless. Furthermore, Thoreau believed in making one’s own path in life and not following the footsteps of others, something which McCandless also attempted to do. However, McCandless did