Comparing Emerson and Thoreau's Views on Nature and Society

This essay delves into the philosophies of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, exploring their perspectives on nature, society, and transcendentalism. It highlights their shared belief in the restorative power of nature, contrasting their views with the societal pressures of materialism and conformity. The essay references key works such as Emerson's "Self-Reliance" and Thoreau's "Walden" to illustrate their critiques of societal norms and their advocacy for a simpler life focused on natural instincts and the worship of nature. The analysis emphasizes their common ground in rejecting materialism and conformity, advocating for a life guided by natural instincts and a deep appreciation for the natural world, offering insights into their views on time and society during the 1800s. The essay concludes by noting the few contradictions between the two philosophers while focusing on the importance of simplicity and distance from conformity and materialism.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ENGLISH ESSAY
Emerson and Thoreau are known for their presentation of the society in different ways
than the others. Emerson is very often regarded as the person who began the concept of
transcendentalism (Thoreau: 27). Emerson was a preacher because he often used to deliver
lectures to his followers depending on several philosophical points. Thoreau was another
preacher and practitioner who always wanted to bring some changes in his own life so he could
live by the important principles of transcendentalism.
It has been revealed by both Thoreau and Emerson that it would be very helpful and
efficient to spend their time on the nature. This process would definitely be helpful for the people
to improve their life and get inspiration from the various natural sources. It has been found in the
writings of Emerson that "In the woods, we return to reason and faith." In the beliefs of
Emerson, it has been revealed that nature was able to heal all the pains and sufferings of daily
life so he could get free from various cares of the daily life. The standards of the society should
be changed on the grounds of morality and taking care of the persons properly. The ego o the
persons would also put barriers on living a satisfied and happy life. It was only possible for
nature to bring back his best self (Thoreau: 27). Therefore, restoration would be completed from
the broken persona that the concerned persona may have been suffering from.
On the other hand, Thoreau was also of the opinion that the nature was the only thing that
could restore him from the problems of daily life and teach him the best way to live (Thoreau:
39). This is the true restorative power of the nature. In the writings of Thoreau, the lines will be
quoted in the next section:
“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say
innocence, with Nature herself.”

2ENGLISH ESSAY
Thus, it is very clear from the writings of these persons that the worship of nature is very
between them. Nature is very simple. It does not ask for many things. Rather it asks for only the
things that are needed. Both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were of the same
opinion that concerns of daily life would affect critically harm the needs of the human beings
(Thoreau: 39). They have reflected their views on time and society during the times they lived.
The thoughts and beliefs have been reflected in the essay “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo
Emerson and the book “Walden” by Henry David Thoreau are very handy to discuss on the
contemporary views on life and society (Woodward-Burns: 35).
Both the authors have expressed their views on materialism and its evil impact on the
society. They have also given their views on the conformity also. They lived during the 1800s
when romanticism was at full spring. Therefore, the primary purpose of romanticism was to
worship the nature (Emerson: 25). In this situation, both Thoreau and Emerson wanted to reject
the thoughts of materialism and concentrate on the powers of nature. Nature was the only
element that could be able to create an influence on the teenagers to focus on non-conformity and
stay away from materialism. This would be a sheer problem for the teenagers because it was
their time of life to enjoy the life and not to indulge in the primary concerns of daily life
(Gonnaud: 18).
The authors saw that most people in the society were only able to concentrate on one
thing and i.e. to conform. Emerson was of the opinion that people tend to follow the society
because they only get used to do the things they do regularly (Emerson: 25). In the writings of
Thoreau in Walden, it has been said that the possession of less material things would give the
human beings eternal joy and happiness in the minds of the teenagers. Thoreau remarked “Our
inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things”.

3ENGLISH ESSAY
(Whicher: 36).Therefore, both the preachers and practitioners of philosophy have argued in favor
of romanticism and love for nature (Gonnaud: 18).
In the concluding section of the paper, it must be mentioned that there are very few
contradictions on the views between Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Most of
their views have focused on the simplicity of life and importance of the keeping distance from
conformity and materialism. The desires should not be led by the material concepts rather it
should be simplified by natural instincts and aspects of worshipping the nature.

4ENGLISH ESSAY
References
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-reliance. Lulu. com, 2019.
Gonnaud, Maurice. An uneasy solitude: Individual and society in the work of Ralph Waldo
Emerson. Princeton University Press, 2014.
Thoreau, H. D. (2016). Walden: 150th Anniversary Edition. Princeton University Press.
Thoreau, Henry D. "Walden Civil Disobedience and Other Writings." 2018.
Whicher, Stephen E. Freedom and Fate: An Inner Life of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Pickle Partners
Publishing, 2017.
Woodward-Burns, Robinson. "Solitude Before Society: Emerson on Self-Reliance,
Abolitionism, and Moral Suasion." Polity 48.1 (2016): 29-54.