Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1803. He was raised by his mother Ruth Haskins and his father Rev. William Emerson until his father’s early death. His Aunt Mary Emerson also played a significant role in his life.
At nine years old, he began attending the Boston Latin School and went on to study at Harvard College at the age of fourteen. Upon graduating from Harvard in 1821 at the age of eighteen, he co-founded a school for young women with his brother and taught there for several years.
Emerson’s brother, William, initially intended to study at Divinity School to become a minister like their father. However, he ultimately opted for a different path and chose to pursue law instead. During this period, Emerson’s Aunt Mary Emerson approached him and persuaded him to attend Divinity School by stating that “There was always meant to be a Reverend Emerson in Boston” (Seavey 3). Following his enrollment at Harvard Divinity School, Emerson obtained ordination in March of 1829 and worked as an assistant minister at Boston’s Second Church.
Emerson experienced a tragic event when his wife, Ellen Tucker, died from tuberculosis in 1831. Coping with the loss of his wife proved difficult and resulted in his disagreement with certain church practices. He expressed his personal opinion by stating, “This way of honoring Christ does not resonate with me. That alone is reason enough for me to abandon it” (Packer 39). In 1836, Emerson played a role in founding the Transcendental Club and also published his inaugural essay, titled “Nature,” during that same year.
Emerson’s literary career began with his essay, Phi Beta Kappa Address, “The American Scholar,” and Harvard “Divinity School Address.” Concurrently, he married Lydia Jackson, his second wife, and they had four children together. After serving as editor for the Transcendental Club’s publication “The Dial,” Emerson published his renowned essay “Self-Reliance.” He then embarked on a lifelong journey of travel and lectures throughout New England. As the Civil War approached, Emerson actively participated in political movements by advocating for abolition and supporting the emancipation of slaves. In later years, Emerson experienced cognitive decline which led to him speaking publicly less frequently. This condition caused him humiliation, resulting in the cessation of his public appearances in 1879.
Emerson died of pneumonia in 1882 and was laid to rest in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts. This occurred three years after his withdrawal from public view. His accomplishments can be credited to his adherence to Transcendentalism, a philosophy that asserts the interconnectedness of all existence, the inherent goodness of humanity, and the ability of intuition to uncover profound truths more effectively than logic or experience. Ironically, Emerson’s most renowned writings faced harsh criticism.
The most well-known works of Emerson include his essays “Nature” and “Self-Reliance” and his address, the “Divinity School Address”. Emerson’s first essay, “Nature”, was published anonymously. In this essay, Emerson shares his own personal revelation about Nature and his shift in faith from Unitarianism. The experiences he speaks of in “Nature” were recorded in his journal and appear almost exactly as they are written in the essay. In this essay, Emerson declares that all selfishness disappears when in the presence of Nature.
Emerson, in his essay “Nature,” describes a transformative moment where he becomes a transparent eye-ball, seeing all and feeling the currents of the Universal Being flow through him, ultimately feeling connected to God. This pivotal moment led him to leave his role in the church and pursue a career as a writer and thinker, searching for his unique connection to the universe (Felton 5).
In 1838, Emerson, as a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and co-founder of the Transcendental Club, was invited to give the graduation address at Divinity College. Recognizing this opportunity to shape the future of Unitarian worship in New England, Emerson accepted the invitation (Geldard 72). However, his speech was considered highly offensive by the authorities at Divinity College, leading to his exclusion from speaking at Harvard for over three decades. The main offense was his assertion that Jesus should be seen as a man rather than as God in human form (Geldard 73).
It is important to note that Emerson’s intention was not to dismantle or discredit the Unitarian faith but rather to express his own personal beliefs and interpretations.
Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” essay, considered the most radical he wrote, aimed to provide a balance to spiritual and personal human capacities. However, the theologians present at the time only focused on criticizing their Church and its supported doctrines (Geldard 74). Through this essay, he promoted his views on transcendentalism and emphasized the belief that studying nature could lead to finding answers to life’s questions. As Emerson himself stated, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind” (Emerson Self-Reliance).
Emerson aimed to inspire his readers to uncover the same enlightenment that he had personally attained. He wished for them to realize that beneath the surface of apparent chaos, there is a harmonious purpose within nature. This realization, in turn, would empower individuals to overcome the conflicts that a narrow-minded society had allowed to flourish (Cayton 222). “Self-Reliance” was the piece that garnered Emerson global recognition. Although his family and Unitarian acquaintances disapproved of his ideas, the essay captured the attention of readers not only in New England but also in England and other Eastern nations.
Emerson’s work as a traveling lecturer not only contributed significantly to his income, but also marked the beginning of his career in this field. He played a pioneering role in developing a distinctively American genre of literature, unlike the authors before him in New England who had adhered to European styles of writing and used history and religion as imagery. Instead, Emerson emerged as a leader of a new era, utilizing nature and the enigmas of existence to express his ideas rather than relying on traditional writings.
Emerson was not like others in his field who were ignored and only recognized years later for their innovative ideas. He had the right ideas at the right time and presented them effectively to an eager audience. Although the authorities at Harvard Divinity School may not have liked his address, the young graduates loved it and encouraged him to publish it, which he did (Geldard 74).
Emerson’s belief is that we are living in a world of polarities, but merely accepting this fragmented perception of reality ignores the hidden origins of creation and significance in existence (Geldard 77). Emerson successfully confronted the Unitarian Church in an attempt to bring about reformation, rather than destruction. However, when the church leaders failed to see beyond his criticisms, he personally took on the responsibility of disseminating his ideas regarding nature and self-discovery through his own lectures and essays.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is closely associated with Transcendentalism, as his name and legacy are intertwined with the movement. According to Kateb (44), Emerson’s perspective on life aimed at rejuvenating the world through an idealist philosophy that surpassed the materialism of science and traditional religion. In his essay “Self-Reliance,” Emerson conveyed these ideas by emphasizing the importance of trusting one’s inner voice. He firmly believed that every individual possesses inherent knowledge, enabling them to perceive and comprehend moral truth without relying on information gained through their physical senses.
According to Kateb (53), an individual can make a moral decision using their innate, God-given knowledge, rather than relying on everyday life experiences, education, and experimentation. This belief led to the creation of the Transcendentalist Club, which included Emerson and others who shared the belief that this “inborn knowledge” served as a person’s moral guiding force. Emerson and the Club aimed to restore importance to individual thought and encourage people to embrace their own thoughts rather than dismissing them as unworthy because they originate from within.
Emerson aggressively sought to criticize and convince his readers, using powerful language to convey his unwavering perspective. His essay contains quotes like “Who so would be a man must be a nonconformist” and “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do.” These quotes were strategically crafted to impart knowledge and sway his audience. During his time, Emerson played a crucial role, arousing desire and a sense of purpose that justified his radical style of writing (Kateb 197).
Works Cited
- Anderson, Quentin, Stephen Donadio, Stephen Railton, and Ormond Seavey. Emerson and His Legacy: Essays in Honor of Quentin Anderson. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1986. Print.
- Baker, Carlos. Emerson among the Eccentrics: a Group Portrait. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print. Felton, R. Todd. A Journey into the Transcendentalists’ New England. Berkeley, Calif. : Roaring Forties, 2006.
- Print. Geldard, Richard G. The Esoteric Emerson: the Spiritual Teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne, 1993. Print. Geldard, Richard G. The Essential Transcendentalists. New York: J. P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2005. Print.
- Kateb, George. Emerson and Self-reliance. Thousand Oaks (Calif. ): Sage Publications, 1995. Print. Packer, Barbara L. The Transcendentalists. Athens: University of Georgia, 2007. Print.
- Porte, Joel, and Saundra Morris. The Cambridge Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge [England: Cambridge UP, 1999. Print.
