world, Emerson sets up a correlation that elevates
the importance of the mysteries of nature that refers
back to the earlier quotation of the perfect star:
“We first share the life by which things exist, and
afterwards see them as appearances in nature, and
forget that we have shared their cause.... [H]ere
are the lungs of that inspiration which giveth man
wisdom.” Emerson plainly states here that through
nature and natural appearances, men and women are
given the perfect model for their own thinking and
understanding. Through nature comes the lesson for
human genius.
By observing the natural world and how it works,
men and women breathe life into their own lives.
Rather than relying on individual thought, men and
women often quote “some saint or sage.” Emerson
would rather have the thinker rely on his or her
own inner truth and inner voice, which is an indi-
vidual voice of truth. He instructs the reader with
an empowering message: “I will so trust that what
is deep is holy, that I will do strongly before the sun
and moon whatever inly rejoices me, and the heart
appoints. If you are noble, I will love you.” He thus
gives his ultimate in inspiration and encouragement.
He gives readers of all generations hope for them-
selves and a goal that is attainable to everyone.
Emerson has not given the reader a guide for
some worthless purpose but has provided uplifting
examples of plain learning that anyone can achieve.
This is the optimistic legacy that reaches all earnest
readers of this essay. By simply gazing to the heav-
ens or beholding the scent and sounds of nature,
men and women can attain the truth that resides
within their own hearts. Through simple practices,
Emerson offers hope for a more meaningful human
experience, one of hope and truth.
Patricia Brugman
WOrk in Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s focus in his essay “Self-
Reliance” is on the importance of work as essential
to a full human experience. Work is more than a
means to an end, in Emerson’s mind. His message
is very simple: Through human effort, all people
are rewarded. While this seems to lead to a busi-
ness relationship between work and payment, the
payment that Emerson offers is not monetary but,
rather, spiritual. In this essay and every interpreta-
tion of “Self-Reliance,” the self-reliant individual is
the one who gains as much as he or she seeks.
Emerson does not offer a definition of work but
leaves the meaning open to the reader’s interpreta-
tion. In a general way, Emerson’s idea of “work” is
the conveyance of truth from the natural world to
the human conscience for the purpose of improv-
ing society. If there were no work, society and the
individual would remain disconnected and misun-
derstood. By contrast, human understanding of the
natural world (through work) communicates the
truth of nature to society, for the betterment of all
people.
In basic terms, men and women must work in
order to reap; an individual must work in order to
live. These are obvious truths made self-evident by
both economics and history. Emerson goes further
by identifying work as necessary—as a way for peo-
ple to know their world and therefore themselves.
The truth of the world is not a given; it must be
sought after. He says that “though the wide universe
is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can
come to him but through his toil bestowed on that
plot of ground which is given to him to till.” This
harvesting metaphor makes it plain that work cre-
ates results that are not only productive but neces-
sary for the human soul. By seeking knowledge, men
and women will gain truth.
Emerson follows this sentiment with the obvi-
ous: Though work is hard, it is also rewarding in
more than monetary terms: “God will not have his
works made manifest by cowards. A man is relieved
and gay when he has put his heart into his work
and done his best.” As God works, so shall men
and women. Not working does not deliver men and
women to their state of full awareness or genius, but
leaves them bereft of genius, invention, and hope.
In his own life, Emerson lives the message he
teaches. He says that work must be the response to
the call of life to the point of denying all else to get
the job done: “I shun father and mother and wife
and brother, when my genius calls me. I would write
on the lintels of the doorpost.” His passion is to do
his work, which in turn calls others to work for their
passions. Through the collective effort of people“Self-Reliance” 403