Emerson's essay claims that success lies in remaining true to the divine directing voice within each person's soul and not to any outside influence.
Emerson was raised and educated in Massachusetts, living in Boston while young and making his adult home in Concord. Having grown up around the elite intellectual circles of Boston, Emerson enjoyed social prominence because his family included several generations of respected Unitarian ministers. Financial stability was elusive, however, due to Emerson's father's untimely death. Until his early adulthood, Emerson worked to help support his mother and siblings. It was not until his inheritance from the unfortunate death of his first wife that the aspiring writer was able to retire from the ministry and pursue intellectual efforts. Despite his family legacy and his Harvard degree in ministry, Emerson's heart was not in his pulpit but instead in a philosophical life.
Despite his early connection to elite society, Emerson became highly critical of such traditional communities later in life.
This is a free page. This page contains 160 words. This
article contains 7,923 words (approx. 26 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Self-reliance - Ralph Waldo Emerson - 1841 Access Pass.
