“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 