Comparing Thoreau And Transcendentalism

When Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution, he noted that a species’ traits changed when they inhabited different environments. Similar to Darwin’s ideas, American values varied in accordance to one’s circumstances. In the early 1630s, a religious group known as the Puritans fled from England to escape persecution. Their leader, John Winthrop, delivered a sermon known as “A Model of Christian Charity” upon the arrival of their new home, America. It listed out future actions the Puritans needed to take in order to survive and establish a holy community. From another standpoint in history, romantic and transcendentalist Henry Thoreau focused his ideals on fundamental values an individual needs to live a meaningful life. Thoreau abandoned …show more content…
He left city life and survived in the woods to lead a simpler life, so that he “hardly has to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest” (Thoreau 2). According to Thoreau, one’s life will be much easier if time spent on others were cut down; the eagerness for personal achievement should outweigh the passion for society. Although Thoreau and Winthrop’s ideologies directly contradict each other, the American identity today incorporates both; the individual can focus on his or her personal desires while benefitting society. By simplifying his life, Thoreau found more opportunities to accomplish his intimate goals. He encourages others to do the same and “suck out all the marrow of life” (Thoreau 3). Like the marrow in a bone, Thoreau believes life offers prosperity and happiness if the person lives deeply enough—to live life’s every moment to the fullest. Despite having different interpretations of how to live a decent life, both Winthrop and Thoreau aimed to create a set of values for a model citizen. The two figures discussed methods for communal and individual benefit, but they disregarded the minorities in