Chris McCandless: a man so in love with nature that he practically committed suicide to get closer to it. This extreme taste for nature, along with other ideals, constitutes the fundamental tenets of transcendentalist philosophy. McCandless also demonstrates other principles of transcendentalism, notably the supremacy of the individual, by detaching himself from the riches of this world. Another way in which it shows the supremacy of the individual, through the belief that one should not conform to the usual politics of life, causes great problems for him in some cases. In addition to the belief that the individual trumps all else, McCandless draws much of his inspiration from nature. Ultimately, always following what he believes is right, McCandless follows his own intuition to the point of death. Chris McCandless not only shows his transcendentalist beliefs by the way he acts and thinks, but also by the way these actions and thoughts imitate those of the fathers of transcendentalism, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Chris McCandless adheres to the principle of individual supremacy by throwing away and staying away from wealth. He attempts this formidable feat by donating most of his money and wiping out the rest by burning it. He may be breaking the law in this action, but it reveals a lot about his character: that he cares about people but also that money has no power in his life. Venturing impromptu into the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless also breaks the bonds of wealth by moving away from it. His supplies: “cheap leather hiking boots,…only [a] .22 caliber [rifle]; too small a caliber to rely on if he hoped to kill large animals like moose and caribou…. He had no axe, no insect repellent, no snowshoes, no compass" - allowed him...... middle of paper ......r the inspiration of which he needs to learn more about himself. Finally, McCandless follows his own intuition to the point of death. These ideas presented by McCandless not only demonstrate transcendental ideals, but the lives of the fathers of transcendentalism themselves closely resemble that of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a man who desired to live as close to nature as possible; however, willpower alone could not save him from his unintentionally inflicted demise. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Thoreau.” The Atlantic Ideas Tour. Atlantic Monthly Group, nd Web. November 23, 2013. .James, Henry, Sr. “Emerson.” The Atlantic Ideas Tour. Atlantic Monthly Group, nd Web. November 23, 2013. .Krakauer, Jon. In nature. New York: Anchor, 1997. Print.