Billie and Walt McCandless quietly shed tears over their twenty-four-year-old son, Chris McCandless, who had not spoken to them in over two years and was found died in the Alaskan woods. . They wonder why their son left society, nevertheless left his own parents and risked his life, which ended in his death. Transcendental principles that include rejection of society, intuition, and the search for purpose in life may have guided the aforementioned experience-seeking individual. Chris McCandless's identification as a transcendentalist is confirmed by his nonconformist actions, his human relationships, and his quest for a higher truth. Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of transcendentalism because he was the first to introduce the idea of ​​a simplistic and intuitive way of life. He states: “Whoever wants to be a man must be a non-conformist. . . Nothing is at least sacred except the integrity of your own mind” (“Self-Reliance” 392). Nonconformity is an essential part of Emerson's definition of a transcendentalist. To be able to live a truly limitless and fulfilled life, one must not fall into the daily, hectic life of society. He must stand out and follow his intuition, even if it is not considered the norm. The only way to be content is to trust your instincts, not to let yourself be jaded by the pressures of society. Chris McCandless, throughout his journey across the country, has done many acts that stand out from the rest of society. For example, he burned 123 dollars to show that material things have no real meaning in his life (Krakauer 29). Additionally, Chris points out in a letter to his 81-year-old friend Ronald Franz, "So many people live in unfortunate circumstances and yet do not take middle of paper ...... Chris McCandless' quest to a higher truth compelled him to believe that human relationships are necessary to live a happy life. Works Cited: Emerson, Ralph Waldo "The American Experience." Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education. Inc., 2005. 388-390. ---, "The American Experience." . "The American Renaissance and Transcendentalism." PBS and Web. Krakauer, Jon. New York: Anchor Books. Chris McCandless.” Outdoor Magazine. Mariah Media, Inc., December 18, 2013. Web. April 16, 2014. “Transcendentalism, an American Philosophy.” Independence Hall Online Handbook, n.d. Web.. 2014.