Analysis of the Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson’s Self-Reliance, though densely packed with natural and transcendentalist themes, is much about celebrating individualism. He begins the essay by stating that people perceive the meaning of poetry and literature in their unique way and that the author’s intentions matter less than the reader’s interpretation and the “sentiment they instill” in the work (132). In reference to the title itself, Emerson argues that everyone has a purpose and is responsible for personal growth, even though man often dismisses his own intellectual thoughts simply because they belong to him.

Throughout the essay, with recurring allusions to religion (133, 143, 144), history (140), nonconformist ideology (135–137), and vast experiences throughout his life, Emerson encourages his audience to find individual fulfillment. He tells us to put ourselves and our families before those in poverty, to believe in our own spiritualities rather than the ones from organized religions, and to accept that all ideas we create over time are subject to change. Emerson’s philosophy seems to exist on a continuum between considering the self as separate from and more significant than others, and uniting humankind. But Emerson is not looking to describe the normal state of human existence in his essay. Instead, he dreams of an ideal consciousness where one can satisfy oneself while living in harmony with others. This is not the reality, however, of the humanity immediate to Emerson. He expresses his disappointment with the lack of substance in topics that most people choose to discuss. According to Emerson, man is afraid to realize his inner knowledge—his intuition—and create his way of thinking, relying instead on ideas and feelings that already exist and have been expressed by “some saint or sage” (142). Even when man does find a different and original point of view, he is quick to suppress it within his mind.

While Self-Reliance offers an overwhelming amount of wisdom on man and his relationship with society and himself, Emerson’s language is puzzling and almost childlike in the way that it twists and turns and deserts a particular thought completely for a new one. His words are not as complex compared to other authors I have read, but they do take time to decipher and contemplate. Judging by the subject matter of this essay, that may even be what he intended.