Self Reliance: Point of View from Emerson and Thoreau

While Thoreau and Emerson agree that self reliance is important, both authors have different ideas on what it means to be independent and how an individual can achieve self reliance. Thoreau talks about being self reliant in his book Walden in which he explains that in order to be independent you have to live by yourself, while in the essay "Self-Reliance" Emerson feels you can live in society and still keep your independence.

Emerson is more concerned with the mind and ideas. Emerson believes that "A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages." Emerson is saying a man should go by his own beliefs and not by what other people say. Emerson shows by saying "a gleam of light which flashes across his mind" that he is more concerned with the individual mind, not the physical world. Another of Emerson's quotes which connects with the mind is "it is easy in the world to live after the worlds opinion;" this means it is easy for a person to follow the crowd. But Emerson claims that true self-reliance is when "the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." This means the individual man can still connect with himself and not be influenced by the crowd.

Thoreau also sees self reliance as being crucial. However, he not only observes self reliance in his words but by his physical actions with which he demonstrates self reliance and individuality. Thoreau went to Walden pond to experiment, to find out if he could live by himself. His experiment was to see if people could live independently and how society controls people. Thoreau's goal, "to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles;" was to test himself in the woods to discover what true self reliance could mean for a human being. He felt that all he needed was a "little common sense, a little enterprise and business talent," because if he didn't follow his dream of being self reliant he would appear "not so sad as foolish." Thoreau's mission in life was to be self reliant and to teach the world about individuality. Thoreau moved to Walden Pond to learn the most about being independent, "I have made some sacrifices to a sense of duty, and among others have sacrificed [these] pleasures also." Thoreau was very tight on money and used as little as possible. When his clothes were torn he sewed them back together. It was his belief that appearance didn't matter. Thoreau was more extreme in his beliefs in being self reliant than Emerson because he changed the way he lived.

Thoreau and Emerson wanted to spread their ideas of self reliance. They both had different ways of explaining and showing their independence. Thoreau believed in order to live in self reliance you had to give up pleasures and do everything yourself. Emerson thought you could live how you prefer, stay within society, and still be independent with your mind.