Slightly updated Extended Essay

Abstract

‘Why should “Walden,” by Henry David Thoreau, be considered as the epitome of transcendental literature?’

To answer this question, this paper explores the idea of transcendentalism put forth in “Walden,” by Thoreau. “Walden” is the major source for this paper.
The paper outlines the transcendentalists’ core beliefs on religion, philosophy, and literature of their society. The paper outlines how Thoreau addresses each of these core beliefs in his work, “Walden.”
Also, in the paper, other transcendentalists’ literary works are examined, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott and Walt Whitman. These works were examined the contrast how other transcendentalist writers utilize the ideas of Transcendentalism.
Sources that are used in this paper to evaluate Emerson’s beliefs were mainly his essay “Nature,” and scholarly works evaluating his works’.
Sources that are used in this paper pertaining to Alcott and other transcendentalists come from academic works evaluating their beliefs and contributions to the transcendental movement.
Word Count: 152





American transcendentalism is a movement that began in the early nineteenth century in the New England region of America. Transcendentalism is a change in a group of ideas in religion, philosophy, literature, and culture. A Transcendentalist core belief is to achieve an ideal spiritual state, which “transcends” the physical and empirical being. This state can only be achieved, or realized by the individual’s own intuitions, rather than through the doctrines of established religion. Transcendentalism was one of the key ideas of the American Romantic Movement. (source) The movement of American transcendentalism began, initially, as a state of protest against the general state of culture and society. A particular target of this protest was the state of intellectualism of Harvard, and the doctrines of the Unitarian church, taught at Harvard Divinity School. (source)
Henry David Thoreau is regarded today as being, one of the major transcendentalists in the movement. While working with longtime companion Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau began on his first experiment to achieve the transcendental state. Thoreau’s experiment was one of simple living, which would span over two years and two months, and would result in one of his most famous literary work, Walden. He began this experiment on July 4, 1845. (Walden 62) He moved into a small, self-built house on the land owned by Emerson, a second – growth forest around the shores of Walden Pond. This house was not in the wilderness, which Thoreau specifically states in Walden, but at the edge of town, only 1.5 miles from his family home. (Walden 7) His experience at Walden Pond was to isolate himself away from the disturbances of society in order to gain a more objective understanding of it. Simple living and self sufficiency were the goals in which Thoreau hoped to achieve at Walden Pond. This project was solely inspired by the transcendentalist movement.
Thoreau recorded his experiences at Walden Pond in his book Walden. Walden, is from Thoreau’s personal point of view, recounting his two year, two month stay at Walden Pond. Thoreau compresses that time into a single calendar year, using the passage of four seasons to symbolize human development. Walden is part memoir and part spiritual quest taken on by Thoreau. (Walden 61)
Thoreau utilizes the ideas of transcendentalism through his book Walden in the four aspects of the transcendentalist’s core belief. He addresses religion, literature, culture and philosophy in this book, which can be easily identified through the eighteen organized chapters of Walden. Thoreau’s recount of his experiences at Walden is addressed separately in each chapter. Although the events follow a season cycle, the chapters follow the specific area over the two years spent there. (Walden 61)
Religion;
Religion has been the foundation of man’s search for spiritual identity, for defining good and evil, and for instituting universal harmony and balance. Transcendentalism was a religion, a radical religion that utilized nature as its house of worship, glorified god as its deity, and had disciples and prophets such as Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott and Whitman.
The transcendental movement signified a change in the traditional religion of the Unitarian Church of Massachusetts. This new religion had its own commandments of higher life, and its own concept of the divine. The radical philosophy of the transcendentalists connected human beings to a philosophy that would spiritually empower humans by making them instruments and leaders of their church. They were governed by god, and their spirituality was defined by intuition, and molded by the beauty of nature. Their church was the raw wilderness, god was their preacher, and their dogma was truth and righteousness. The followers of this transcendental movement were the spirit and conscience of every virtuous man, and their goal was one of conformity to moral law, a disregard for materialism, and deluding progress, aversion for power and expediency, to seek rugged individualism and freedom from conventionality, to fuse nature and god.
The divine authority that the transcendentalists refer to is not separate from man. The divine presence manifests itself in nature, in the soul of man, in the mentality of man, and consequently, in the actions of man. According to transcendental belief, every human being has the capacity to possess the heavenly manifestation of god, and therefore all of god’s goodness, wisdom and power. Separate from traditional religion at the time, transcendentalism establishes precedence by acknowledging a god that is internal, rather than external. Each man could search within himself, his heart, mind, and soul to discover the powers of the creator.
The transcendental movement could be argued that it itself was an entirely new religion in the Massachusetts area in the nineteenth century. This is supported by having “possessed a personalized system grounded in a belief in god, and had a cause that was pursued with zeal and conscientious devotion by its followers.” (Religion, West’s Encyclopedia of American Law)
Transcendentalism was an unchained organization of cohorts and worshippers, its adherents were committed to the values of freedom, individualism, truth, intellectual inquiry into the self, moral law and the communion of man, nature and god.
Henry Thoreau utilizes this belief of a new religion within the transcendental movement in his novel Walden. He first mentions the religious philosophy of transcendentalism in the second chapter of Walden, Where I Live and What I Lived For. This religion is presented as a personal search for meaning, in which “god himself culminates in the present moment,” and for which the “chief end of man” is not a heavenly reward for glorifying god. (Walden 66)
The chapter “Economy” illustrates the spiritual benefits of living a simplified lifestyle. In it Thoreau explains the four necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing and fuel), and how he has achieved them. This first chapter of the book is to solely introduce his experiment and intentions, and how he went about the experiment, giving specific detail to the audience. Thoreau believes that this retreat to nature will allow him to live, and to grow spiritually.
Thoreau tosses the idea of buying a farm around in this chapter, in the end he decides against the idea saying that it is better to remain uncommitted. “But I would say to my fellows once for all, as long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail.” (Walden pg 61) This reference to Thoreau’s resistance to commitment goes into his, and the transcendentalists’ philosophy of living a simplistic life without any permanent ties, and with a complete devotion to nature and the search for thy self. This quote from Thoreau’s resistance to Civil Government, relating any responsibility to being held down by the government, in this case, the farm he is discussing is a responsibility to tax collectors.
As mentioned before, Thoreau went to the Pond at Walden to live. “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary.” With this, Thoreau is saying that he went to live at Walden to experience a simplified life, in which he wished to gain a fuller understanding of life itself, in the purest form of raw nature. Although he went to live secluded, he did not wish to resign from everyday life, but to rather live further away to gain a better understanding of it. He goes to experience it himself, whether life there proves to be mean or sublime. He identifies his experiment as a religious journey, in which “god himself culminates in the present moment,” and for which the “chief end of man” is not a heavenly reward for glorifying god. (Walden 66)
Before Thoreau ends this chapter, he goes back to identify the transcendental religious belief of reaching god through nature. “In eternity there is indeed something true and sublime. But all these times and places and occasions are now and here. God himself culminates in the present moment. We are enabled to apprehend at all what is sublime and noble only by the perpetual instilling and drenching of the reality that surrounds us.” (Walden 70)
Ralph Waldo Emerson approaches the idea of Transcendentalism in many of the same ways as Thoreau. Emerson transcendentalism is a belief in a higher reality than found in sense experience or in a higher knowledge than achieved by human reason. Transcendentalism upholds the goodness of humanity, the glories of nature, and the importance of free individual expression. Transcendentalism also holds that material objects do not have any real existence of their own. Rather, these objects are diffused aspects of God. In this way, Emerson is somewhat of a pantheist, holding the belief that everything is god.
In “Nature” Emerson considers the over arching need to discover and develop a relationship with nature and God. Emerson also explains that the human sense of beauty depends on seeing things in relation to the “perfect whole”. (Transcendentalism Legacy, 9)
Emerson’s transcendental beliefs are most evident in his essays. In Emerson’s essays, he stresses his beliefs in individuality, and his strong connection with nature, beauty, and God. (Essential Transcendentalists, 53.)
While these beliefs are true to Thoreau as well, Emerson had never gone on to explore the depths of transcendentalism that comes with living in seclusion to the natural world. (Transcendentalism Legacy, 9)

Philosophy;
The second chapter of Walden, Where I lived, what I lived for, is a chapter that utilizes the philosophy aspect of transcendentalism. In This chapter, Thoreau describes his cabin location, and mentions the motive for the experiment. Thoreau took up his abode at Walden pond to “live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not when I came to die discover that I had not lived.”(Walden 66) Thoreau believes that this retreat to nature will allow him to live, and to grow spiritually. He is living by the transcendentalist’s core belief in achieving the ideal spiritual state, which can only be realized by the individual’s own intuitions, and by personal experience.
He describes the winds which passed over the cabin as being, “such as sweep over the ridges of mountains, bearing the broken strains or celestial parts only, of terrestrial music.” He imparts philosophy and his knowledge of ancient Greeks in his description of the morning winds. “The morning wind forever blows, the poem of creation is uninterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it. Olympus is but the outside of the earth everywhere.” His philosophy is on his new, secluded abode at Walden, and the change in the sounds of the winds. This quote shows a transition within Thoreau, from his city life, to his pond life, and he has taken a notice to the tiniest differences, which are held close to nature. (Walden 62)
Thoreau does not take his new abode for granted. He tells the reader directly that this cabin is the “only house I had been the owner of before.” With that new abode, Thoreau points out; he has made progress towards settling in the world.
In the first days living in his new cabin, Thoreau takes notice to the natural beauty of his surroundings. “I did not need to go outdoors to take the air, for the atmosphere within had lost none of its freshness.” (Walden 62) This shows the transcendental philosophy taken on by Thoreau, on how in order to find your natural self and to be one with nature is the only way to find the divine within, and to connect yourself with nature and ultimately god.
In this chapter, Thoreau describes morning at Walden in a philosophic manner. “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.” His early morning baths were taken in the pond, which Thoreau identifies as a ‘religious exercise’. His morning bath served to ‘renew himself completely each day; to do it again and again, and forever again.’ The morning, to Thoreau, ‘was the most memorable season of the day, the awakening hour.’ (Walden 64) Throughout this chapter, Thoreau gives his own philosophy in relation to the morning. Thoreau’s philosophy on morning is one of human rebirth and renewal. He believes that ‘all intelligences awake in the morning,’ and that ‘all memorable events transpire in the morning time, and in a morning atmosphere.’ (Walden 65) Thoreau’s belief of ‘awakening’ is not one of physical capabilities, but rather intellectual exertion, “To be awake is to be alive.” He stresses the importance of starting the day at dawn, “to learn to reawaken, and to keep ourselves awake by the infinite expectation of the dawn.” (Walden 65)
In the end of chapter two in Walden, Thoreau begins to describe the relationship between his humble abode, the early morning, and the search for religion. “The millions are awake enough for physical labor, but only one in a million is awake enough for effective intellectual exertion, only one in a hundred million live a poetic or divine life. To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake.” (Walden 65) This quote also goes along with the transcendental philosophy that a man is closer to god when he has reached self actualization within himself, and that is balanced with nature and the search for religion.
For Emerson, his philosophy on Transcendentalism is outlined in his essay, “Nature.” Emerson is ultimately fascinated with the relation of the individual to the natural world. In “Nature” he described the feeling of unity with all beings, as he became “part or parcel of God.” Emerson feels that nature could take away egoism and repair all problems: “…In the woods we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life – no disgrace, no calamity (leaving me my eyes), which nature cannot repair. Standing on the bare ground- my head bathed by the blithe air, and uplifted into infinite space- all mean egoism vanishes…”(Essential Transcendentalists, 54) In those sentences Emerson is explaining that nature is so peaceful that you forget about everything else. That nothing can come between you and the natural world.

Literature;
The literature movement in America in the early eighteenth century was influenced by the Romantic Movement happening in Western Europe. This movement was a complex, artistic, literary, and intellectual movement. It was partly a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the age of enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature and was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music and literature. The transcendental movement was directly influence by the Romanticism movement. Transcendentalist writers and their contemporaries signaled the emergence of a new national culture based on native materials, and they were a major part of the American Renaissance in literature. They advocated reforms in church, state, and society, contributing to the rise of free religion and the abolition movement and to the formation of various utopian communities, such as Brook Farm. Some of the best writings by minor Transcendentalists appeared in The Dial (1840–44), a literary magazine. (Transcendentalism, 4/29/09)
The Transcendental Movement dramatically shaped the direction of American literature, although perhaps not in the ways its adherents had imagined. Many writers were and still are inspired and taught by Emerson and Thoreau in particular, and struck out in new directions because of the literary and philosophical lessons they had learned. Walt Whitman was not the only writer to claim that he was "simmering, simmering, and simmering,” until reading Emerson brought him “to a boil." Emily Dickinson's poetic direction was quite different, but she too was a thoughtful reader of Emerson and Fuller. In his own way, even Frederick Douglass incorporated many lessons of transcendental thought from Emerson. (Transcendental Writers, 4/29/09)
One particular transcendental idea pertaining writing is their philosophy on writing and aesthetics’. Transcendental writers such as Henry Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson displayed aesthetics in their writing. Both writers were constantly seeking beauty, not only in term of nature but, also in terms of the individual spirit. While aesthetics can refer to any sense of beauty, it is often used in terms of literature. They wrote for anyone who was and is interested in the notion of transcendence, or the notion of using reason and intellect in order to go beyond the pre-existing limits of the world. When considering aesthetics, most people think of poetry, which often attempts to portray beauty --however pleasant or terrifying-- in some way or another. Although Emerson never wrote any substantial poetry, he is said to have influenced prominent poets such as Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman. When considering aesthetics, most people think of poetry, which often attempts to portray beauty --however pleasant or terrifying-- in some way or another. Overall, the major elements of aesthetics that we can attribute to the Transcendentalists include a new definition of the role of the poet and a different perspective of nature. The transcendentalists believed that the poet was representative of everyman or everywoman, but simultaneously different, in that he or she could observe the world, nature in particular, and express its beauty through his or her own verse. They believed that function was just as important, if not more so, as form, and that art lies in the process, or the experience, and not so much in the product. In fact, the Transcendentalists usually eskewed anything that was said to be definitive or all-encompassing. They believed in the circularity of ideas, in that as long as people are using their intellect, ideas are always evolving and never-ending. (Transcendental Writers, 4/29/09)

Evaluation and Conclusion;
In Walden’s final chapter, Thoreau sums up his stay at Walden Pond. He makes it abundantly clear to his audience that he is not fond of imitators. For Thoreau, transcendentalism is no pose. It is a genuine effort of practical imagination, a mode of living, the art of packing each moment with the utmost life. “To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of the stars.” (Dreamer of Dreams, 241) Thoreau does not wish for anyone to take up the life in the woods, as he did, because his stay at the pond was purely a personal journey in which he strove to find himself. He believes that every man is different, and therefore must take separate, unique journeys to find themselves.
He stresses the many truths that he has come upon at his stay at the pond. He believes that in order to fully discover yourself, to be successful on your journey you must be self reliant, self actualizing, and self efficient. To be self reliant, he means that individuals are able to make their own decisions about which they truly are, and what they want to do with your life. To reach a self actualizing state, Thoreau suggests that the individual be able to actively seek their own direction and purpose and to be self efficient, he suggests to the individual to learn to do things for themselves.
Thoreau’s Walden is the transcendental book because in it, Thoreau addresses the four aspects of the transcendental philosophy and gives actual experience where he expresses these philosophies.