Who motivated and Inspired the transcendentalists who then inspired Chris's adventure?

Chris was a modern Transcendentalist. He loved the romantic ideals of Thoreau, Emerson, and Tolstoy. The idea to look for happiness in simplicity, far away from the maddening crowd, appealed to Chris's intellect and emotional disposition. Unfortunately, they were of little help while Chris was starving to death in the Alaskan wilderness.