Nature Ralph Walden Emerson and Henry David Thoreau Walden
SELDA PUR 2009105153 ‘NATURE’ AND ‘WALDEN’ ‘Nature’ and ‘Walden’ are two art works basically giving the similar messages to the readers. Their writers are different but one of the things which make these works similar is Henry David Thoreau is affected by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works and ideas very much. Secondly, their essays are both inspired from transcendentalism movement. Finally, their theme are both the same, they deal with mainly the idea of ‘nature’. While comparing these two essays, it is better to look at them deeper separately. Nature is an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson and published in 1836.
The importance of this work is that transcendentalism arose with this art of work. Transcendentalism is mainly a combination of reason and emotion; in a more detailed way, transcendentalism is about self-reliance. One has to look into herself/himself and turn her/his face to the nature, purity and has to be away from society, and their mind is supposed not to be full of organized believes and political theories. This movement became a leading aspect in literature with the publication of Nature; therefore, when analyzing the work ‘Nature’, the main features of transcendentalism will be encountered and understood better.
In Nature, Emerson explains the relationship between man and nature. In the nature, every object is simple and sign of wisdom. In earth, as living creatures, people have pleasures and this is not only because they are human but also due to the nature. When people look at nature, they realize the perfectness, happiness of the nature. They realize the existence of God. Nature makes people realize that they are a part of God. In nature, everything is designed for humanity. People get benefits from nature. Everything in it is interconnected and they serve to people.
By this perception, Emerson also implies that nature is alive, surrounding and serving to human. By his transcendentalist perception, Emerson also implies everything that human is need of is in nature, so people must look at and live the nature, they must be purified from dirtiness of the society and industry. Emerson also defines beauty in Nature. Beauty must be searched in the nature. Beauty is the pleasure of perceiving the nature. Emerson links the morality and nature because all two has extreme purity. God give people virtue and intellect. With these features, people can reach the beauty, the ruthiness of nature. Emerson sees these values as a part of nature, and man can be relieved only in nature. Nature connects people to each other. As a living aspect, nature has a language. Language is a combination of systematic symbols. Also nature has symbols in it. People use these symbols to be able to understand each other and the nature. In other words, nature provides people communication. According to Emerson, man and nature are in interconnection. They are dependent, if man behaves nature in a good way, so the nature serves the man in a best way.
Therefore, man has to follow the nature, has to take nature’s purity, its moral values. Nature is a present for man from God. Man uses nature to find his spirit, truth, morality and values. With the help of nature, man can get rid of earthly devilry. Nature is the last place of destination. Man came from the nature and will go to the nature again. Nature is a server of man. It is pure and stainless. If man can reach this purity, he can find his soul. If man gets rid of the society’s destroyed values and environment and keep the nature pure, nature will serve humanity in its best way.
As mentioned above, Emerson expresses his feelings about in a reasonable way. It can be seen that Emerson used both emotion and reason in his essays, which is related to transcendentalism movement. Also, in aspect of the theme, it is obvious that Emerson focuses on the self-reliance and its relation to the nature. He deals with the nature and man in a detailed way and connects these features to each other in a sensible way. Briefly, Emerson writes how the nature serves to man, how man use the nature to live in morality and purity. ‘Walden’ is written by Henry David Thoreau and published in 1854.
This art of work is a product of a real experience and inspired by the transcendentalism movement. Not only his writing style is inspired by transcendentalism but also Thoreau applied this movement, idea in his life style and wanted to experience this idea. It can be said that transcendentalism is not only an idea for Thoreau, but it is also must be put into practice in real life and this shows his pragmatic approach. Thoreau by living in a cabin for two years near Walden Pond which is formally owned by Emerson wanted to create his own perception of society and nature.
He focused on simple ways of living and self-sufficiency. He decided to direct his life in this way when he encountered Emerson’s works. He liked the idea, movement ‘transcendentalism’ and actually practiced it. Living with no money and alone, only with nature and understanding the society by this way was his main goal. He shared his experiences in his book Walden. He did not live in a wild environment as he mentioned also in his book, he lived near the town near a lake. He pragmatically wanted to see if living in this simplicity is really good or not.
In Walden, he firstly explains his plans for this two-year life in a cabin. In this simple life, he has just food, shelter, clothes and fuel. He supplies these with the help of his friends and family. In his work, he criticizes his neighbors who dedicate their lives to working for a better living. However, he, himself, also works for building his house and growing plants. He writes everyday in this house in addition to daily routines like cleaning land, preparing and growing food. He reads many books and wishes a utopian world in which people are educated very well so the all of the people would be noble and wise.
One of the aspects Thoreau argued in his book is that transcendentalism is not only an idea and it is something also that must be lived, experienced and put into life. He explains his life in this cabin within the perspective of transcendentalism. He is delighted with the beauty of nature and his basic, simple daily routines. He is delighted with not being in a rush, not being governed by money. Nature helps him to gain a more pure, clear, moral perspective and to analyze the real life by comparing it with his simple life. As a result, he criticizes the city life and its effects on the nature.
Society and industry ruins the beauty and purity of the nature. For example, he is interrupted by the voices coming from trains, railway. Railway is a symbol of city life which is ruining the nature and its natural way. His being alone along these two years is beneficial according to Thoreau, because he thinks that his solitude made him closer to the nature. He is left to his own resources in nature and the nature is the only friend of him. He has the opportunity of analyzing the nature and his desolation in the nature makes his pastoral way of life morally upright.
Thoreau wanted to experience this because he wanted to escape from civilization and experience the purity of nature. He wanted to see whether or not he could live without luxury. However, what he did in Walden is also writing and reading a lot. Like Emerson does in Nature, Thoreau also talks about the goodness of nature, being solitude and being close to the nature. They both state that man need to live in purity to relief and reach the happiness and to be able to purified from the society. They both criticize the bad effects of society n nature, they both represent that society and industry ruins the purity and clarity of the nature. They both criticize the materialist way of living. However, in Walden it can be seen that Thoreau tries to find a way to connect civilization and nature in a pure concept. The main difference between Emerson and Thoreau is that Thoreau is pragmatics in his belief of ‘transcendentalism’. Emerson supports this idea but does not put into action. Also, while Thoreau explains transcendentalism on the basis of his real experiences, Emerson explains it only in a theoretical way.
Therefore, while Emerson only talks about the nature’s purity and society’s devilry, Thoreau also tries to find a middle course between nature and society to some point. This can be because Thoreau is more realistic and he does critics on the basis of his own experiences. Emerson and Thoreau criticized the society and industry in the same way. They both state that it ruins the nature. They both state that desolation provides people to be closer with the nature and to analyze the nature and society.
Desolation makes people understand that they are a part of the nature and the nature gives its purity to people and people must not pollute this purity by society and industry. They both use emotion and reasoning in their writings and explain things in a sensible way. However, their style is different. While Thoreau uses a more complicated language which is full of metaphors, paradoxes, sarcasm, irony, oxymoron, Emerson uses a more simple language and Emerson becomes more understandable and ‘Nature’ becomes easier to read when compared to ‘Walden’.
Another point that must be assessed while comparing these art works must be that while Emerson puts forth the movement transcendentalism himself, Thoreau is the one who is inspired by this transcendentalism philosophy. It can be observed that by trying to look into deeper the idea of transcendentalism, Thoreau reflects the idea in a more realistic way. This is also because of the Thoreau’s pragmatic approach to the idea. Both these works have similarities more than differences, because the writers both have the same desire, they both criticize the materialism but supports the idea ‘transcendentalism’.
