Romanticism And Transcendentalism Movement During The 18th And 19th Century

Romanticism and Transcendentalism were two important movements during the 18th and 19th centuries. Romanticism is associated with imagination and boundlessness. It began once the influential European artists and writers broke away from formalities and rationalities of the Enlightenment. Transcendentalism was not exactly a religion, but it was defined as a philosophy or form of spirituality. It began as a reform movement in the Unitarian church and was centered around Boston, Concord, and Massachusetts. They both were similar by respecting nature, but their beliefs were rather different from one another. Walden, The Devil and Tom Walker, and Dead Poets Society all had romantic characteristics or transcendentalist characteristics which were helpful in identifying the similarities and differences between the two. …show more content…
He begins by explaining Tom and his wife’s background. He states, “They lived in a forlorn-looking house that stood alone, and had an air of starvation.” (230). In other words, Tom Walker lived a simple and common lifestyle which he didn’t mind. Another characteristic that was portrayed in the short story from romanticism was the introspection, psychology, and supernatural concepts. This was shown by the devil’s presence which is a supernatural concept and it was trying to make a deal with Tom that will give him wealth. Irving states, “He thought with regret of the bargain he had made with his black friend, and set his wits to work to cheat him out of the conditions. He became, therefore, all of a sudden, a violent churchgoer.”. In other words, Tom was scared about the deal he made with the devil which led him to church to gain God’s forgiveness and end the deal he had made with the