Topic > Tarzan as a Modern Transcendentalist

Transcendentalism, as described by Ralph Waldo Emerson, is the search for one's own way to connect with oneself and find inner peace. Discoveries such as necessity, desire, and nature reflect one's discoveries. The only way to not conform to another through Transcendentalism is to design your own designated path to follow. In the 1820s, the two writers who were most influential in philosophy were Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Father of Transcendentalism,” and Henry David Thoreau, who wrote about his experiences with nature in the text Walden. Although it was created almost two hundred years ago, transcendentalism is still present throughout modern society. Similar to Thoreau, Edgar Burroughs, creator of the film Tarzan of the Apes, tells the story of Tarzan's experience with nature but with a modern twist. The main character, Tarzan, is born in the African jungle to human parents but is raised by apes. Growing up in the jungle allowed Tarzan to develop the skills of a warrior and a fierce fighter. He is completely in tune with his surroundings and this has led him to a happy lifestyle. Tarzan can be considered a modern transcendentalist as living completely surrounded by nature and being raised by apes shows that he supports the transcendentalist principles of the importance of nature and simplified living. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Living completely immersed in nature led the modern example, Tarzan, to demonstrate the transcendentalist principle of the importance of nature. Published in 1854, Walden espoused a life full of nature that Tarzan also adopted in his life. This eloquent account describes Thoreau's two-year experience in a cabin he built himself near Walden Pond in Massachusetts. There he was taught the importance of living a life in close harmony with nature. When Thoreau explains why he moved to the woods, he states, "I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to face only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, find that I had not lived” (Thoreau 406). For Tarzan, living consciously means enjoying the environment that raised him and making the most of it. He uses vines to swing and travel great distances in a short amount of time, he feeds himself of the fruits and animals he finds in the jungle and even communicates with the animals around him to take full advantage of his natural environment. Although he is alone in the jungle, Tarzan has found a way to make every moment count and to live Tarzan efficiently states, “Oh, I never take the stairs. I usually take the tents” (Legend of Tarzan 0:22). Tarzan implies that he uses tents instead of stairs to get around because taking the stairs is associated with normal civilized life. Swinging on the curtains inside and the vines outside would be like Thoreau and refusing to die without living. Thoreau and Tarzan could have lived boring lives but instead they utilized their surroundings and lived simplified lives. Being raised by apes led the modern example, Tarzan, to demonstrate the transcendentalist principle of a simplified life. Walden, Thoreau's famous commentary on a simplified lifestyle, put his beliefs into perspective as he walked through the forests of Massachusetts. Living in a compact cabin taught Thoreau that when you are alone in nature, life is simple. Thoreau believed that living in civilization results in unnecessary complexity. Thoreau says: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your business go.