400 Emerson, Ralph Waldo
in being “an inlet into the deeps of Reason.” This is
so significant that he compares the unquestioning
followers of tradition to slaves. “Wherever a man
comes,” he writes, “there comes revolution. The old
is for slaves.” He also refers to the “soul-destroying
slavery to habit.” In contrast, he says, people must all
find their own paths to God.
Despite these condemnatory phrases, Emerson
actually sees much value in tradition and history,
but with the caveat that “all the expressions of this
sentiment are sacred and permanent in proportion
to their purity.” In other words, language endures
and has value to the extent that it comes sincerely
from the speaker’s soul. In fact, Emerson speaks
of how much the European tradition “has always
owed to oriental genius” as expressed by its “holy
bards,” the greatest of whom was Jesus. Emerson
points out how thoroughly the present is rooted in
and nurtured by the past when he explains that “the
unique impression of Jesus upon mankind, whose
name is not so much written as ploughed into the
history of this world, is proof of the subtle virtue of
this infusion.”
Jesus himself is Emerson’s model for not giving
undue attention to models. Jesus “felt respect for
Moses and the prophets; but no unfit tenderness
at postponing their initial revelations, to the hour
and the man that now is; to the eternal revelation
in the heart. Thus was he a true man” and, in fact,
“the only soul in history who has appreciated the
worth of a man.” In other words, Jesus knew the
value of the prophets’ words, but he also knew that
those words must not stand between the self and
the divine.
Similarly, Emerson does not oppose the rituals
of the church but, rather, objects to how they are
being performed. He says of the Sunday service: “If
no heart warm this rite, the hollow, dry, creaking
formality is too plain” to reach the listeners, and thus
what listeners receive is “not the doctrine of the soul,
but an exaggeration of the personal, the positive, the
ritual.”
Emerson is quite explicit about the distinction
between Christ’s teachings and the lifeless use to
which they have been put. Christ’s teachings, he
says, are what give us all “our birth and nurture”
and are the what the Divinity School graduates
“are now setting forth to teach.” Indeed, he refers to
the church’s teachings as “its blessed words, which
have been the consolation of humanity.” But that
consolation must be approached as a guide, not as a
gift of premade truth: “It is a low benefit to give me
something; it is a high benefit to enable me to do
somewhat of myself.” Thus, tradition is good to the
extent that it provides signposts.
Sarah PerraultEMERSON, RALPH WALDO “Self-
Reliance” (1841)
“Self-Reliance” is one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s
most widely read essays because it easily and opti-
mistically connects the solitary individual to the
natural world through simple truths. Emerson’s
message of hope comes from the transcendental
philosophy that by looking up at the stars or at
a blade of grass, by smelling pines or listening to
insects, one learns the truth of him or herself.
Through solitude comes self-knowledge. It is
one’s inner truth that creates wisdom and under-
standing. Emerson says that everyone can be a
genius just by making the connection of the natural
world to one’s own soul. The most quoted line from
the essay, “To be great is to be misunderstood,” has
been repeated by generations of readers, though
many secretly hope the opposite is also true!
Emerson connects the natural world to religious
and philosophical beliefs. Through example, he
relates man’s soul to the divine soul, to the voice of
God and the legends of the Greeks. He continually
connects the truth of human beings to the indisput-
able truth of simple natural occurrences. By offering
such an accessible method for truth, Emerson offers
a positive message as well: Look around, and if you
truly see, you will understand.
The rewards of “Self-Reliance” are not overtly
stated but gradually offered throughout the essay.
No matter the age or time, the basics of the natural
world remain true and easy to gain. Emerson offers
simple rewards such as truth, freedom, respect, and
understanding—rewards that any earnest reader can
easily attain.
Patricia Brugman