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3.2 Generation of Thoreau’s Transcendental Solitude
Individual is considered as the essence of transcendentalism by Emerson. Although it is not easy to find ties of the definition with Thoreau’s thought of solitude through its literal meanings, its deep connotation indicates complex connections that constitute Thoreau’s solitary consciousness.
Transcendentalists call on men’s attention to self-improvement as they find that men’s spiritual cultivation does not keep pace with their accumulation of wealth, even falling behind in the economic development. Thoreau is, undoubtedly, the practitioner of transcendentalists’ discipline. With Emerson’s permission, he went to live in the Walden Pond, only carrying an ax, building a hut by himself. It was coincidence that it was July 4, Independence Day in America when Thoreau moved in the Walden Pond. He then led two-year life there, the simplest life in sharp contrast to the rushes and bustles of American social life outside, and finally finished his masterpiece Walden.
Thoreau’s Walden acts out Emerson’s transcendental theory. In Walden, there are various aspects radiating from Emerson’s theoretical system. Thoreau says he “go and come with a strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself” and his “nearest neighbor is a mile distant, and no house is visible from any place but the hill-tops within half a mile of my own” (2009:131). In the pond alone, he affords himself by sowing beans, and spends plenty of time in thinking about life and doing his academic creation. Thoreau’s self-reliance reveals mainly in chapters of “The Bean-Field” and “House-warming” and his self-promotion of human nature in chapters of “Solitude” and “Higher Laws”. Although he leads a poor material life in the Walden Pond, he’s rich in possessing abundant spiritual wealth and he’s not lonely at all, since he cultivates his inner field and receives a large mental harvest.
He says in the chapter “Solitude”: I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. (2009:136)
So even if he feels solitary, he thinks solitude is his best friend and he will never feel intolerant to it. It is obvious that Thoreau emphasizes the promotion of the individual’s spirit chiefly through staying or living in nature alone and focuses on his improvement of inner heart. Besides, Thoreau welcomes loneliness and loves solitude for it is the key to reach holiness. In the terms of belief, it is a serious emphasis of the individual’s existence and value that makes Thoreau show great concern on his plight whether he lives alone and independently in the world or not. It is the individual that produces the function in the process of winning one’s position of freedom.
Transcendental Practice in Walden
There are too many aspects of Thoreau’s transcendental practice in this book, by classifying, the author would elaborate Thoreau’s description of the transcendental Walden, his simplicity for spiritual happiness, his ideal oneness of man and nature, and his contemplation during the solitude.
4.1 Transcendental Walden
Nature is a platform and solitude is the excellent condition for Thoreau’s transcendental contemplations. In the second chapter of Walden “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau describes the environment around Walden, but the descriptions of the physical environment are soon pulled down by metaphysical expressions. For example, Thoreau’s first detailed description of the pond concludes with a transcendental gesture, “Both place and time were changed, and I dwelt nearer to those parts of the universe and to those eras in history which had most attracted me. Where I lived was as far off as many a region viewed nightly by astronomers”. (2009:87-88) What is more, the physical environment is once again concluded at the end of the chapter with a statement that reflects the author’s concern for the self, “My instinct tells me that my head is an organ for burrowing, as some creatures use their snout and fore-paws, and with it I would mine and burrow my way through these hills” (2009:98). So we can see that Thoreau focuses on his spiritual life and cares about the spiritual development. In the chapter “Solitude”, Thoreau does not think he is sadly lonely, and he dose not think close neighbors are necessary. On the contrary, he feels very happy for he finds a place to communicate with the nature and the universe. In his mind, he is not lonely at all and he is living a life which is meaningful and colorful.