Transcendentalism is an idealistic approach to identity, nature, humanity, and divinity. The themes derived from Emerson and Thoreau center on this transcendental view of self-reliance and nature. In Thoreau’s Walden, he uses key points Emerson shows in Self-Reliance. The two men carry a great influential impact on society showing ideas of non-conformity, infancy, identity, the meaning of self-reliance, and an overall connection to nature. Emerson and Thoreau teach what purpose nature has to several aspects widely known in society. What specific connections does Thoreau’s Walden transcendental essay share with Emerson’s Self-Reliance?
The idea of self-reliance is expressed in Walden thoroughly. Both of the men show similar ideas of what it …show more content…
Joyce Carol Oates, a Princeton professor, elaborates on this connection between Thoreau and Emerson when she states, "fellow Transcendentalists, particularly Emerson, spoke of self-reliance as a virtue, Thoreau actively practiced it, and gloried in it." This "virtue" described is the support one has on themselves. Thoreau shows this physically by living and depending on himself only while supporting himself with the things he owned thorough acquiring them independently. Overall, Thoreau took the words Emerson idealized in Self-Reliance and applied it literally in his life. An idea of self-reliance to Thoreau and Emerson both, was to independently and wholly rely on oneself without conformity. Emerson shows an idea compared to Thoreau when in Self-Reliance he describes, "All the forgone days of virtue work their health into this." This means that Walden furthers this "virtue" in the section where Thoreau states, "thank heaven there still is so much virtue in a man." The similarities of the virtue both transcendentalists describe correlates with the idea on how men have the ability and decency to support themselves with necessities such as health and warmth. Virtue is an overall main theme expressed in self-reliance as it builds the meaning of what the two transcendentalists believe it is meant to …show more content…
Emerson and Thoreau both display similar approaches towards identity, focussing mainly on how men lose their identity. Emerson demonstrates his thoughts on identity when he expresses the importance of work on how "...no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till." Man can not wait for a good outcome to turn out by waiting for it, he must work for it and not just expect it to happen. When Thoreau assess the idea of work explaining, "the better part of man is soon plowed into the soil for compost," he represents Emerson 's idea. Both men connect work as a necessity as well as something done with the wrong intentions. The majority of men tend to work to have money to own items thinking it will make them more than who they are when in the end they end up losing their identity. The topic of identity as a whole is a common theme in transcendentalism since the identity approach ties into the ability to be self-sufficient. To depend and trust oneself is to know how to define oneself which is another section Emerson and Thoreau equally displayed on the theme of
The idea of self-reliance is expressed in Walden thoroughly. Both of the men show similar ideas of what it …show more content…
Joyce Carol Oates, a Princeton professor, elaborates on this connection between Thoreau and Emerson when she states, "fellow Transcendentalists, particularly Emerson, spoke of self-reliance as a virtue, Thoreau actively practiced it, and gloried in it." This "virtue" described is the support one has on themselves. Thoreau shows this physically by living and depending on himself only while supporting himself with the things he owned thorough acquiring them independently. Overall, Thoreau took the words Emerson idealized in Self-Reliance and applied it literally in his life. An idea of self-reliance to Thoreau and Emerson both, was to independently and wholly rely on oneself without conformity. Emerson shows an idea compared to Thoreau when in Self-Reliance he describes, "All the forgone days of virtue work their health into this." This means that Walden furthers this "virtue" in the section where Thoreau states, "thank heaven there still is so much virtue in a man." The similarities of the virtue both transcendentalists describe correlates with the idea on how men have the ability and decency to support themselves with necessities such as health and warmth. Virtue is an overall main theme expressed in self-reliance as it builds the meaning of what the two transcendentalists believe it is meant to …show more content…
Emerson and Thoreau both display similar approaches towards identity, focussing mainly on how men lose their identity. Emerson demonstrates his thoughts on identity when he expresses the importance of work on how "...no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till." Man can not wait for a good outcome to turn out by waiting for it, he must work for it and not just expect it to happen. When Thoreau assess the idea of work explaining, "the better part of man is soon plowed into the soil for compost," he represents Emerson 's idea. Both men connect work as a necessity as well as something done with the wrong intentions. The majority of men tend to work to have money to own items thinking it will make them more than who they are when in the end they end up losing their identity. The topic of identity as a whole is a common theme in transcendentalism since the identity approach ties into the ability to be self-sufficient. To depend and trust oneself is to know how to define oneself which is another section Emerson and Thoreau equally displayed on the theme of