“Self Reliance” was written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1830 in which he embraced the ideas of Transcendentalism. As a transcendentalist, he stressed individualism, non-conformity, and the need for harmony between man and nature (Merriman). Emerson’s childhood upbringings in a conservative, Utilitarian household, his sufferings from a number of premature familial deaths, and experiences interacting with other influential intellectuals during that time, shaped his life and career.
Emerson’s childhood and struggle with the Christian faith influenced his work. Emerson’s father, a minister, died when he was only eight years old. This was the first of many deaths to follow: all three brothers, his first wife at age twenty, and his older son at five, all of which many believed shaped his life (Woodlief). After his father’s death, Emerson’s aunt, Mary Moody Emerson who also enforced his Utilitarian upbringing, came to take care of him and his siblings. Her influence on Emerson was paramount. As an educated intellectual, Mary argued as a feminist against America’s patriarchal society. Her intellectualism and emphasis on individual thought is known to be responsible for modeling Emerson into an independent, widely-read, self-educated intellectual (Battiste). In “Self Reliance”, Emerson emphasizes this notion of individualism by embracing the philosophy of depending on oneself for the search for divine truth. After a year of marriage to his first wife, Ellen Tucker, she died of tuberculosis. Ellen’s death caused Emerson to dive into a period of intense grief. Her death, along with his struggle with his faith, caused him to step down as a clergyman (The Biography Channel Website). Ellen Tucker’s death marked Emerson’s struggle with his Christian upbringings.
Emerson’s experience as a traveller allowed him to meet many other famous intellectuals during the time. During his time in Massachusetts, he met Transcendentalist thinkers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau, whom he maintained a close relationship with. During his visits in England, he met William Wordsworth and Thomas Carlyle. He maintained a relationship with Thomas Carlyle and together, they wrote Correspondence of Thomas Carlyle and R.W. Emerson (Merriman). Emerson’s interactions with these men allowed Emerson to grow as a Transcendentalist.
“Ralph Waldo Emerson.” 2013. The Biography Channel website. Aug 24 2013, 01:32 http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153.
Merriman, C.D. “Ralph Waldo Emerson.” – Biography and Works. Search Texts, Read Online. Discuss. Jalic Inc. Copyright, 2007. Web. 24 Aug. 2013. <http://www.online-literature.com/emerson/>.
Woodlief, Ann. “Ralph Waldo Emerson.” Ralph Waldo Emerson. American Transcendentalist Web, n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2013. <http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/>.
Battiste, Janice. “”A Good Aunt Is More to a Poet Than a Patron:” Mary Moody Emerson, a Model of Self-Reliance.” WILLA V5 – “A Good Aunt Is More to a Poet Than a Patron:” Mary Moody Emerson, a Model of Self-Reliance. The Women in Literature and Life Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English, n.d. Web. 24 Aug. 2013. <http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/old-WILLA/fall96/battiste.html>.
103A: American Literature from 1789 to 1900 
Knowing Emerson’s background helps in understanding his views on charity, while still praising the genius of Jesus, Luther, and others who promoted views that went against the grain. His conservative and utilitarian upbringing makes clear why he would disdain giving handouts to people and why he feels that it is pointless to concern oneself with the plights of people living very far away. Recognizing his aunt’s influence on his thought also explains why he views the more “cultivated classes,” less than favorably because he feels that everything that spouts from their mouths is not real because they cling to a particular school of thought and worry about what others think of them.
Knowing about Emerson’s relationships with his utilitarian aunt, Mary, and other famous transcendentalists of the time, like Thoreau, verifies his work “On Self-Reliance.” Although some of the statements within Emerson’s essay appears problematic and contradictory, the pragmatic and self-sustaining theme in the work epitomizes a peremptory transcendentalist. Alternatively, the death of Emerson’s father at an early age could have necessitated Emerson’s self-reliance. Without a father, Emerson would have to develop himself to be self-supporting; therefore creating his own independent and nonconformist ideals similar to those of transcendentalism.
The tragedies that Emerson suffered in his life add some depth and credibility to the embarrassingly optimistic “On Self-Reliance”. The essay, though not explicitly championing Christianity, would not work without it or another religion at its core, — man’s natural goodness only works if we are made in God’s image or in some way divine — and it is unsurprising that his background contains ties to the Christian faith. That even in his darkest hour he still had faith in man’s inherently complete goodness makes his argument more respectable, but the notion that, since he was able to bring himself out of the darkness and prosper, others should be able and expected to do the same without help, seems not only cruel and cold, but also unchristian — against the very “good” he claims we all have in our hearts.
It was good to gain an understanding of Emerson’s background as it pertained to the death of his family members; for it gives insight into his continual emphasis on promoting individuality. The many deaths Emerson had to endure throughout his life would inevitably lead one to focus on the importance of individual strength. Emerson seemed to live a life that was continually forcing him to look inside himself for the strength to endure through these tragedies; and as he saw himself grow and advance intellectually as a person, he saw the internal strength a person can have when they focus on advancing individualism within themselves.
I can’t help but think all the deaths in Emerson’s life led to his transcendentalism due to bitterness, not an excess amount of free time. Emerson’s philosophy in itself is quite stubborn and unyielding, not afraid to be lonely – perhaps a sort of solitary strength Emerson found during his multiple grieving processes. That number of (important) deaths in a person’s life isn’t just something that can be gotten over, so it clearly must have affected his future works. Instead of falling into depression, Emerson created a huge movement and train of thought, which to me, seems like a sort of therapeutic resolve to make something of his life, that would make it worthwhile, in lieu of his passed family members.
Knowing Emerson’s history with death makes his death seem even more tragic. He suffered from serious memory deterioration where he would have problems remembering his own name. For a poet who has left such a legacy, it was understandable how his memory problems caused him frustration until he suffered from pneumonia and died.