Ralph Waldo Emerson Term Paper

Now that a basic understanding of Emerson’s life has been established, his literary style and writings can be explicated. Emerson was a transcendentalist which is defined as a person believing in a “system of beliefs that adequately reflected the prevailing thoughts and opinions of Americans.” (Phillips, Jerry, Ladd, & Aneskoand, 2006) these beliefs are strongly tied to the incorporation of divinity into one’s life as well as the power of the mind. Emerson was already predisposed to transcendentalism because of religious elements of his life growing up. He was the son of a Unitarian minister and his ancestors were commonly preachers and so the ideas of spirituality were present from birth. Emerson’s works were focused on the spirit and at

He was an artist of romanticism which is a movement born from transcendentalism. “The Transcendentalist movement created a romantic philosophy.” (Phillips, Jerry, Ladd, & Aneskoand, 2006) Hawthorne, originally born Hathorne, was born July 4, 1804 in Salem Massachusetts. He is the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Hawthorne and Hawthorne’s father, similar to Emerson’s, died four years after his birth. Hawthorn first got an inkling literature when he was immobilized by a critical leg injury. During his period of revitalization, Hawthorne discovered writing and isolation but did not live an unhappy

As a Romantic, Hawthorne would write pieces more in relation to events of the time. “Romanticism is more definitively about strong moving pieces that induces strong feelings in relation to significant events.” (Phillips, Jerry, Ladd, & Aneskoand, 2006) Hawthorne would also have puritanical undertones in his writings seeing as he had inherited the religion. Hawthorne of course related to real world events and would constantly criticize political power in relation to tyranny. Garrido would say “Hawthorne, I will argue, is determined to enlighten his readers to the hypocrisies and civil violations that occur in spite of the protections the constitution guarantees its citizens.” Hawthorne would indeed do this as he pointed out the growth in factional power during the civil war or even greater when he exacts revenge on the Salem Courthouse. The Scarlet Letter was his revenge in the form of an allegory. He would talk of the Courthouse in the preface with symbols. “The aim of allegory is to relate, by comparison, the symbolic to the actual. This is exactly what Hawthorne does” (Garrido). Hawthorne would then composed his greatest romance using these symbols as he represented the Courthouses abuse and communicating it to the world. Hawthorne would work with symbols but he meant them only for his audience of interpreters. He wished to communicate with intellectuals and those who could not