Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essay Example for Free

Thoreau and Transcendentalism Essay Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is an anthem to transcendentalism. Among the transcendentalists core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature. Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions—particularly religion and politics—corrupted the purity of the individual. They believed that people were at their best when they were self-reliant. The central recurring theme that emerges in transcendentalism is a return to nature. Thoreau sets out for Walden Pond to observe, learn, and explore, indicative of his transcendentalist beliefs. In Walden, Thoreau explains his convictions of transcendentalism through his imagery of nature and appreciation of Nature’s sounds, especially in the climactic seventeenth chapter, â€Å"Spring†. Thoreau discovers that one nice thing about living in the woods â€Å"was that [he] should have the leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in (1138). He studies the ice melting and listens for birds, and by mid-March, he has heard a bluebird, song-sparrow, and red-wing. With the days passing, he also notes the depth of the ice on the pond. The ice is still a foot thick when he hears these birds. Living in a climate of four completely different seasons, and being away from the constant din of civilization (except for the railroad and church bells), makes this process of observing the introduction of Spring unique for Thoreau. Little delights Thoreau more than watching rivulets of sand and clay â€Å"burst† and â€Å"overflow† through the snow in banks, such as those on the bank by the railroad. Seeing â€Å"the various shades of the sand†, â€Å"singularly rich and agreeable (1139), makes him feel as though he stood in the laboratory of the Artist who made the world and me (1139). Thoreau sees these little streams replicated in tree leaves, blood vessels, and ice crystals. In this way, the hillside illustrated the principle of all the operations of Nature (1141). In this same section of â€Å"Spring†, Thoreau makes a significant connection between the transcendentalists and their religious beliefs. Thoreau refers to God as the Artist who made the world and me (1140), a transcendentalist understanding of the divine. He compares man to a mass of thawing clay (1140) with fingers and toes leaves and the ear as lichen, echoing the image of God as a potter in Jeremiah. According to Thoreau, the earth is not a fossil, but rather ongoing artistry. He perceives that the earth is a living creature and â€Å"nothing inorganic† exists (1141), a tribute to the fact that it is always in process. One can see God face-to-face by studying Nature. Thoreau uses beautiful language to create the image of Nature being pregnant. He explains the life-like forms that can be seen everywhere in Nature with the sentence: â€Å"No wonder that the earth expresses itself outwardly in leaves, it so labors with the idea inwardly† (1140, emphasis added); Nature is pregnant with an abstract and metaphysical idea that is coming out in the form of a leaf. As Nature gives birth, her bowels are exposed, presenting her as the â€Å"mother of humanity† (1141). Bowels are obviously something internal, something one would not necessarily see, and the fact that Nature is exposing herself is note-worthy for Thoreau. When the snow has somewhat melted, Thoreau takes notice of the â€Å"withered vegetation which had withstood the winter† (1142). The red squirrels move under Thoreaus house and chirp continually, even when he stomps on the floor. He is thrilled to see the first sparrow of the season and to hear the birds songs again. Walden Pond continues melting, opening up canals on all sides. A large piece of ice has broken off the â€Å"main body† (1143) and a song-sparrow sings to assist its further breaking. A â€Å"ribbon of water† glitters in the sun. The pond is â€Å"full of glee and youth† (1143). In all of this, Thoreau sees the contrast between winter and spring (1143) and notes that Walden was dead and is alive again (1143). The change from Winter to Spring seems instantaneous, filling Thoreaus house with light, and he hears a robin sing as if he has not heard one for a thousand years. The use of imagery and sounds in this section of â€Å"Spring† exhibit Thoreau’s excitement about the changing of seasons and the end of a long, cold, â€Å"dead† Winter. Later in the chapter, Thoreau goes fishing. He hears a strange â€Å"rattling† sound and looks up to see a hawk soaring overhead, â€Å"with proud reliance in the fields of air† (1145). It looked as if it had never set foot on land and had its nest in the clouds. Thoreau catches sliver, gold, and coppery fish, which look like jewels when all strung together. His morning fishing venture is proof enough of immortality for Thoreau, as evidenced when he proclaims that â€Å"there needs no stronger proof of immortality. All things must live in such a light† (1146). He also â€Å"love[s] to see that Nature is so rife with life that myriads can be afforded to be sacrificed and suffered to prey on one another† (1146), and watching a vulture devour carrion or seeing a dead horse on the side of the road reminds him of humanity’s health and strength. His ability to confront death of living things shows his acceptance of deaths inevitability and lifes continuity. In Walden, Henry David Thoreau defines his own personal understanding of transcendentalism. For him, the divine is most sublimely expressed in nature. The overriding theme of Thoreau’s â€Å"Spring† is rebirth, a Christian conception that Thoreau applies to nature. With the surfacing of spring, he is reborn along with his surroundings, and his euphoria in describing nature reveals his positive and passionate perspective. Transcendentalism is the term through which Thoreau can explain coming to an understanding of the divine and mans place in nature at Walden Pond. For him, the role of God as an â€Å"artist† (1140) is inspiring. After living in the woods next to Walden Pond for two years, Henry David Thoreau developed his own ideas of transcendentalism, an important spiritual union between nature and oneself.