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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Paragraphs 10-11
Explanation and Analysis—Self vs. Society:
In a recurring motif, Emerson contrasts the individual with society in order to establish the superiority of the individual and the danger of being swayed by others:
It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
Emerson paints a picture of someone maintaining their individuality in the middle of a crowd. To him, this ability to resist conforming to society is the mark of a “great man.” Throughout "Self-Reliance," society takes the form of institutions, churches, cities, and more. These various expressions of society all symbolize the pressure to conform; they are obstacles to living in accordance with instinct and the true self. According to Emerson, conforming to society negatively affects one’s life in all sorts of ways, from the pain of faking smiles to much more serious spiritual loss. Emerson recognizes that it isn’t easy to maintain one’s selfhood in the face of society. But he calls for readers to do it anyway:
Let us affront and reprimand the smooth mediocrity and squalid contentment of the times, and hurl in the face of custom, and trade, and office, the fact which is the upshot of all history, that there is a great responsible Thinker and Actor working wherever a man works; that a true man belongs to no other time or place, but is the center of things.
To Emerson, the world is mediocre and the people around him are not fully content because of the power of societal structures like “custom,” “trade,” and “office." The “true man” is the opposition to these forces. He acts in accordance with himself and is connected with the "great responsible Thinker and Actor," or God. Custom, trade, and office seem insignificant when compared to the "upshot of all of history" and the presence of God.
Emerson also makes a distinction between “high” society and “low” society. He isn’t particularly fond of either, but he thinks that it’s easier to resist the pressures of polite or high society, because it expresses its discontents more feebly than does low society.
Related Themes:
Paragraph 17-20
Explanation and Analysis—Self vs. Society:
In a recurring motif, Emerson contrasts the individual with society in order to establish the superiority of the individual and the danger of being swayed by others:
It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.
Emerson paints a picture of someone maintaining their individuality in the middle of a crowd. To him, this ability to resist conforming to society is the mark of a “great man.” Throughout "Self-Reliance," society takes the form of institutions, churches, cities, and more. These various expressions of society all symbolize the pressure to conform; they are obstacles to living in accordance with instinct and the true self. According to Emerson, conforming to society negatively affects one’s life in all sorts of ways, from the pain of faking smiles to much more serious spiritual loss. Emerson recognizes that it isn’t easy to maintain one’s selfhood in the face of society. But he calls for readers to do it anyway:
Let us affront and reprimand the smooth mediocrity and squalid contentment of the times, and hurl in the face of custom, and trade, and office, the fact which is the upshot of all history, that there is a great responsible Thinker and Actor working wherever a man works; that a true man belongs to no other time or place, but is the center of things.
To Emerson, the world is mediocre and the people around him are not fully content because of the power of societal structures like “custom,” “trade,” and “office." The “true man” is the opposition to these forces. He acts in accordance with himself and is connected with the "great responsible Thinker and Actor," or God. Custom, trade, and office seem insignificant when compared to the "upshot of all of history" and the presence of God.
Emerson also makes a distinction between “high” society and “low” society. He isn’t particularly fond of either, but he thinks that it’s easier to resist the pressures of polite or high society, because it expresses its discontents more feebly than does low society.
Related Themes:
Paragraphs 21-24
Explanation and Analysis—Time vs. Timelessness:
In a motif, Emerson contrasts the essential, timeless truths of nature with the societal conception of linear time:
These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones [...] There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.
Through this motif, he argues that the timelessness of nature allows for a greater sense of contentment. The roses, because they exist outside of human ideas of time, can simply be exactly what they are. This makes them a perfect embodiment of transcendentalist ideals. Because they can’t compare themselves to former or better roses, the roses are entirely self-reliant. This timelessness allows nature to be in the exact moment it’s in—not living in the past or worrying about the future.
Similarly, Emerson uses this motif to argue against the idea that the past should provide models for the future:
Is the acorn better than the oak which is its fullness and completion? Is the parent better than the child into whom he has cast his ripened being?
An oak tree is generally considered to be more evolved and beautiful than an acorn, even though the acorn came before the oak tree. In the same way, each generation can be seen as even more evolved than the last, even though they came later. Emerson doesn’t think that society should valorize the past. But he doesn’t think the future is always better than the past, either. In fact, he argues against the idea that society always progresses as it develops:
The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. He is supported on crutches, but lacks so much support of muscle.
The development of a coach or of crutches can be seen as a sign of progress. But Emerson argues that these kinds of progress cause losses, too—new technology can make people lose old ways of doing things. Without walking, we use our feet less. While using crutches, muscles weaken. Emerson is arguing against the notion that the most advanced or recent version of something is inherently the best.
Instead of looking to the past or focusing on progress, then, Emerson believes that fulfillment comes from connection with essential truths that exist outside of a particular time.
Related Themes:
Paragraphs 35-50
Explanation and Analysis—Time vs. Timelessness:
In a motif, Emerson contrasts the essential, timeless truths of nature with the societal conception of linear time:
These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones [...] There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.
Through this motif, he argues that the timelessness of nature allows for a greater sense of contentment. The roses, because they exist outside of human ideas of time, can simply be exactly what they are. This makes them a perfect embodiment of transcendentalist ideals. Because they can’t compare themselves to former or better roses, the roses are entirely self-reliant. This timelessness allows nature to be in the exact moment it’s in—not living in the past or worrying about the future.
Similarly, Emerson uses this motif to argue against the idea that the past should provide models for the future:
Is the acorn better than the oak which is its fullness and completion? Is the parent better than the child into whom he has cast his ripened being?
An oak tree is generally considered to be more evolved and beautiful than an acorn, even though the acorn came before the oak tree. In the same way, each generation can be seen as even more evolved than the last, even though they came later. Emerson doesn’t think that society should valorize the past. But he doesn’t think the future is always better than the past, either. In fact, he argues against the idea that society always progresses as it develops:
The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. He is supported on crutches, but lacks so much support of muscle.
The development of a coach or of crutches can be seen as a sign of progress. But Emerson argues that these kinds of progress cause losses, too—new technology can make people lose old ways of doing things. Without walking, we use our feet less. While using crutches, muscles weaken. Emerson is arguing against the notion that the most advanced or recent version of something is inherently the best.
Instead of looking to the past or focusing on progress, then, Emerson believes that fulfillment comes from connection with essential truths that exist outside of a particular time.
Related Themes:
