Transcendentalism has to do with a few things. The basics of transcendentalism are self-reliance, fighting for your rights, “au naturel”, and individuality. It all has to do with you and who you are. Relying on yourself is one of the biggest things. Henry David Thoreau lived in the woods for two years with only the bare necessities. He relied heavily on himself and was always with his own thoughts. He wrote a book called “Walden”, all about his experience living alone. Fighting for your rights is really just fighting for your own independence. Being your own person and not following the rules of society and doing what you want. Defying authority and what they want from you. It closely related to individuality. Nonconformity was big for Thoreau and a main theme for transcendentalism. Being by yourself in the woods for two years is definitely not something your everyday person would do. However, if you really wanted to stand out and be your own person, that was ideal. That is what Thoreau wanted and he didn't want to conform to society. The saying “au naturel” is really just being around nature and learning from it. Along with his thoughts, nature was the only other thing Thoreau was learning from everyday. Everything in nature was his home and it all had something special about it. Nothing is more natural than being in the woods. For example, when you go camping. You’re out in the fresh air, surrounded by nature and it’s beauty. That is a big part of transcendentalism. Everything related to nature and being true to yourself is exactly what Thoreau enjoyed.