Exploring Fate and Self-Reliance: An Analysis of Emerson's Contradictions

Self-Reliance - Fate

Fate as defined in the Websters Dictionary is "That which inevitably happens as though determined by force". If this is what fate means then I believe that Emerson "hit the nail on the head" when he wrote his essay "Fate". Emerson really believes that everyone has a predetermined fate or destiny that will happen. It seems that his message is that you do not decide your future but it is already decided for you and you just have to deal with it because you have no control over what is going to happen. The class, for the most part, agreed with him. Examples were given that if you lose everything because of an Earthquake it was fate because you have no control of nature. I disagree if you want to be safe you can move to a place in the world where earthquakes and natural disasters are at a minimum. To a point you can protect yourself from harm and determine your own fate.

Emerson disagrees with me he believes that everyone was born to do a certain job and what we will do in life is already predetermined. Emerson writes that "..in every million there will be an astronomer, a mathematician, a comic poet..." suggesting that there is no point in trying to better yourself because you were destined to be something and no matter what you do you cant escape your fate.

Then just as he has convinced you of your fate he puts limitations on your destiny. He writes that "..Fate has its lord; limitations its limits" so now fate has a limitation. I dont think anyone brought this up in the class discussion but it has to be addressed. Emerson now admits that there is a greater power than fate but gives no clear image(at least not to me) of what exactly it is.

This essay seems to follow Self-Reliance in that it gives you a false sense of security. It also shows that Emerson cant even make up his mind and finds contradictions in the points that he is trying to make. But then again as we have discussed over and over when you read a work many times you often find messages that you didnt even realize were there. I am convinced that Emerson as he wrote this essay and re-read it many times kept finding different meanings and wanted to show that he too was just as confused as the average person. "Fate" shows one mans acceptance and denial of what he holds to be true, a comforting thought when you consider that everything around you is changing.