Self-Reliance In The Life Of Emerson

This thesis attempts to examine Emerson's theory of self-reliance in relation to its intellectual origin and its role in the sage's life. Emerson lived in an era when the United States saw rapid industrialization. He sensed the suppression brought about by the social environment to each individual. This situation was aggravated by his personal misfortunes. The theory of self-reliance stems from Emerson's need to fortify himself in such disappointing situations. Emerson didn't come to the theory of self-reliance directly. Being a Christian, his first source of consolation came from the belief in moral compensation, i.e., all the sufferings will be compensated for and all the good will be rewarded. As time went on, the theory of self-reliance superseded moral compensation as a greater source of strength. Emerson has two rationales for self-reliance. One is based on the idealistic perception of the world. The world is nothing but a phenomenon, while the human mind is the only reality. The other rests on the belief that God resides in each individual and that his presence makes man divine. During the formulation of his theory of self-reliance, Emerson was indebted to the English Romantics, among whom Wordsworth and Coleridge had the most immediate and powerful influences on him. His concept of nature and the belief in an individual's union with God all have their roots in the two. The theory of self-reliance gave Emerson enormous strength in combating the disappointing reality. After all, he was assured that 'The world is nothing, the man is all.' Man can live entirely and sufficiently on his resources within. Given the divine nature of the self, every individual should be valued as 'a newborn bard of the Holy Ghost'. Thus the status of an individual is substantially elevated. In the spirit of self-reliance, Emerson started his intellectual rebellion against society, history and Christianity. He finally arrived at the conclusion that man should approach everything from his own individual perspective. The self is the ultimate measure of all things. The only true security lies in one's faith in his limitless possibilities and in rejecting all conformities. However, the self-reliant hero constantly finds himself trapped in a dilemma: how to strike a balance between his transcendental pursuit which requires absolute autonomy, freedom and the emancipation of the self, and his practical concerns which necessitates certain responsibilities and the observance of certain constraints. The effort of reconciling the ideal and the real led to the duality of his life. He emphasizes economic independence as well as spiritual independence. Being a scholar, he admires man like Napoleon and believes that the pursuit of money and power is justifiable. His duality is most conspicuous on the issue of reform. While favoring the idea that a man is born to be a reformer, Emerson never joined any specific reform group burgeoning at his time. He believes that the real reform is moral and personal. He wanted to remain with himself as an observer, an independent reporter, but the exasperating crime of slavery made him unable to remain unmoved. He was the chief intellectual rebel at his time, while in reality he seldom did anything provocative. Emerson is largely a rebel in thinking, while a traditionalist in action. No matter how Emerson wished to live up to his ideal of self-reliant hero, he couldn't escape his entire social background, of which Unitarian Christianity was a major shaping force. The concern for morality, the desire to live a beneficent life and the sense of social responsibility never allowed Emerson to wholly have his own way or retreat into the cell of self. Consequently, his entire social life was trapped in perpetual duality.