Existentialism and Thoreau

A detailed Summary of Existentialism and Thoreau

The influential narratives of Henry David Thoreau, along with Ralph Waldo Emerson, are essentially responsible for the successive institution of the American transcendental movement of the 19th century, effectually leading to an immense resurrection of American literary interest and reliance, which had greatly diminished prior to the birth of the 19th century. Henry David Thoreau, having been the mentoring product of Emerson's literary experience and education, acted as a visionary for encouragement of expressive rebellion in America, creating a worn path for volumes of brilliant expressionism produced by the transcendental movement, all of which made possible by the unprecedented magnitude of Thoreau's romantically seductive narratives. The reasoning behind this author's regard of higher accreditation for Thoreau, as opposed to praising the genius of Emerson, is solely based on the original intermixing of existentialism and transcendentalism in Thoreau's works. Emerson was a brilliant influence on the transcendental movement, expressing the negative manner of which society has evolved, along with original philosophies to break the chains of negative conformity, both of which supporting a rebellious m

ovement to reinstate the basic appreciations of life and nature. The ideologies shared by Emerson and Thoreau were unprecedented at the time for their anti-conformist, anti-technology narratives; however, the distinction that set Thoreau apart from Emerson was existentialism, meaning that Thoreau lived what his writings promoted, while Emerson merely advocated the philosophy, rather than engaging its truths. The ideology of existentialism is primarily associated with the literary philosophies of the 20th century; however, Thoreau's works clearly support the presence of existential influence in the 19th century.

Thoreau's essay, Civil Disobedience, is yet another supporting text that conveys the presence of existential influence. Thoreau, in what many may consider his finest protest of conformity, refuses to pay his government taxes on the grounds that he does not support the areas to which his societal contribution is being implemented. Thoreau is jailed for one night on the charge of failing to submit to government taxation, inevitably becoming the foundation for Civil Disobedience. Thoreau says (referencing his imprisonment): Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. The proper place to-day, the only place which Massachusetts has provided for her freer and less desponding spirits, is in her prisons, to be put out and locked out by the state by her own act, as they have already put themselves out by their principles. (Thoreau, 94.) Thoreau is in no way advocating, in this author's opinion, that malice intended acts of anti-law, in which carried out in absence of promoting self-belief and individual moral, are justifiably acceptable; rather, supporting the protest and rebellion of individuals in regard to belief and principle conflicts of any interpreted law thought to be unjust and wrongly intended. This is where the existential element of Civil Disobedience is evident, being that Thoreau refused to submit government taxation, not for the purpose of rebellion for rebellion, but for moral and ethical belief and principle disagreements, thus leadin

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Approximate Word count = 1432
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English