Thoreau And Anti-Transcendentalism

Thoreau and Hawthorne are two vastly different authors. Thoreau was known for his transcendentalist writing style. Transcendentalist writing is a style of writing that gives nature a whole new meaning. Essentially saying that there are spiritual connections to nature. Thoreau’s story “Walden” shows Thoreau’s love for nature. While Hawthorne was known for romanticism writing style. Hawthorne was an Anti- Transcendentalist. In other words, Hawthorne was known for his power of blackness. He uses evil in his stories such as “Young Goodman Brown”. He uses evil by his use of allegories and symbols. Thoreau’s love for nature is greatly present in his story “Walden”. An essential theme in “Walden”, is humans and the natural world. For example, “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito's wing that falls on the rails” ( Thoreau/ Walden). This quote shows how nature is basically an example of how to live. Essentially saying the way nature is so natural and beautiful is the way people should live, natural and beautiful. Another example is, “A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder
He uses symbols to show the internal battle of good versus evil. For instance, the forest symbolizes evil. In the puritan times going into the forest was where evil tactics were done. “My father never went into the woods, or his father before him” (Hawthorne). Hawthorne is basically show the forest as an evil sign so to be caught in the forest makes you an evil person or up to evil stuff. Secondly, Goodman Browns wife Faith is a symbol. Goodman Brown says, “My love and my faith” (Hawthorne). In essence Hawthorne is basically referring to his love in God, not his wife Faith. Each symbol of “Goodman Brown” always came back to the common theme of good versus