A man in his search of the human‘s soul once wrote “Nature is not primarily functional. It is primarily beautiful. Which is to say, beauty is in and of itself a great and glorious good, something we need in large and daily doses. Nature at the height of its glory shouts, Beauty is essential” (Eldredge 34)! The authors of Walden and Thanatopsis regard beauty as a necessary part of nature and life. Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, is a story of a man who finds out more about himself while living in the serenity of isolated Walden Pond. In Thanatopsis, William Cullen Bryant writes how nature benefits man after death because he becomes closer with the earth. Both Thoreau and Bryant agree that nature and it’s beauty is a essential to man. In these stories, the authors claim that the simplicity of nature is an essential part of man’s life by emphasizing that man is able to define himself when he becomes closer with the environment through the setting of his surroundings, the understanding of his conflict with society, and through the use of symbolism with nature and man.
The author of Walden uses the setting of Walden Pond to emphasize that the simplicity and serenity nature brings man can help him find his inner complexities. Thoreau writes that man has no better place to find himself and “no larger fields than these, no worthier games may here be played. Grow wild according to thy nature (207). The author believes that the openness and infinitude of nature allow man’s mind to become freer so he can find knowledge that lies in the corner’s of his mind. Man is only able to truly think freely in the quietude of wilderness. One day at the pond Thoreau observes himself and writes “I saw a double shadow of myself, one standing on the head of the other, one on the ice, the other on the trees of the hillside” (293). Thoreau is showing his belief that man is essentially the same in the wildness of nature as he is in the civility of society. He believes the natural environment is untainted like that of society and therefore enables man to find himself. Henry David Thoreau believes that man can find the complexities of his life when he is away from the confinement of society and in the openness of wildlife.
William Cullen Bryant focuses not on man’s life and nature, but of man’s afterlife with the environment, writing how death brings man closer with nature and at ease with the conflicts within himself. Bryant tells readers to live “like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams” (80-81). The author believes man should not wrestle with himself on the fact of death. He regards decease as a good thing not to be feared. Bryant notes that nature “has a voice of gladness, and a smile/And eloquence of beauty, and she glides/ Into his darker musings” (4-6). The poet believes nature is kind and soothes man’s conflicts within himself. William Cullen Bryant reasons that nature’s beauty relieves man’s aggravations within himself. In Thanatopsis, Bryant writes that man’s struggle with things such as death should be put at rest because nature will always exist on the earth.
Throughout Walden, Henry David Thoreau uses symbols in nature to reveal that man’s conflicts with society can be solved by the solitude of nature. Thoreau writes that “a single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener. So our prospects brighten on the influx of better thoughts” (314). The author is proclaiming that man can benefit greatly from but just one encounter with nature. Thoreau uses the symbols of a grass being replenished by a rain to show how man can be renewed and enlightened by the serenity of nature. Thoreau goes on to write “The surface of the earth is soft an impressionable by the feet of men; and so with the paths that the mind travels” (323). The author is pointing out that man gets into the patterns of society and gets stuck in the ruts that he and the world have made. He believes man needs a change of scenery to refresh and awake his mind to new thoughts and ways of thinking.
In Thanatopsis and Walden, Bryant and Thoreau use the settings of man’s environment, the conflicts between man and society, and the symbolism of man in nature to show that the serenity and simplicity of the wilderness can help man understand his true self more adequately. The discussion of Walden Pond made clear that man is capable of finding his true self because he is away from the distractions of society. Man should not have to struggle with himself on issues such as death or with society on issues of his individuality. Solitude and serenity, even for a short time, will teach man more about his true self. Though, one might not want to go to extremes such as Thoreau and Bryant did, these author’s books edify that it is good to take time to contemplate one’s self. Taking time from the busy society to consider why one reasons the way one does might open up a new world of thinking and will most certainly be beneficial to the individual.
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WORKS CITED
Eldredge, John, and Stasi Eldredge. Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul. Nashville. Thomas Nelson, 2005.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. New Jersey. Princeton University, 1971.
Bryant, William Cullen Bryant. Thanatopsis. New Jersey. Prentice Hall, 1999.
William Cullen Bryant focuses not on man’s life and nature, but of man’s afterlife with the environment, writing how death brings man closer with nature and at ease with the conflicts within himself. Bryant tells readers to live “like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams” (80-81). The author believes man should not wrestle with himself on the fact of death. He regards decease as a good thing not to be feared. Bryant notes that nature “has a voice of gladness, and a smile/And eloquence of beauty, and she glides/ Into his darker musings” (4-6). The poet believes nature is kind and soothes man’s conflicts within himself. William Cullen Bryant reasons that nature’s beauty relieves man’s aggravations within himself. In Thanatopsis, Bryant writes that man’s struggle with things such as death should be put at rest because nature will always exist on the earth.
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