Anti Transcendentalist Beliefs

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Anti-Transcendentalism
In the early 1800's two movements within the period of romanticism occurred. These two movements were transcendentalism and its counterpart anti-transcendentalism. Although the transcendentalists had an admirable dream of how people and life should be that fit many aspects of romanticism, they were far too hopeful and naïve when looking at humanity as a whole. Transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David
Thoreau believed in such things as the essential divinity of all people, the beauty of nature, and the human spirit. Those who opposed this movement at the time were known as anti-transcendentalists, followers of this philosophy like Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne believed in humanity's capacity to commit evil acts, the accreditation of all evil done in the world to original sin, and natures indifference to the suffering of man.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, a leading author who followed the philosophies of anti-transcendentalism wrote several short stories and novels in his life time like the "Ministers Black Veil" and "The Birth Mark" that represented in some way the anti-transcendentalist beliefs he had. …show more content…

This veil in Hawthorne's story is believed to represent secret sin to the people of the town who gossip about their preacher however, in relation to the fundamentals of

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