Emerson Nature

Emerson and the Universal Connection to Nature When visiting the Nelson Atkins Art Museum, the American art floor comprises of two styles: paintings of landscapes and nature, and portraits of men, women, and children. These pieces date back to the mid 18th century. Before the founding of the United States, Americans connected to nature. Still today, American identity links directly to nature. R. W. Emerson’s “Nature” describes this attachment.

The difference between the American and European landscape developed the American identity. Accustomed to urban, densely populated cities, explorers were introduced to a new ability to connect with nature. Emerson confronted the natural beauty and explored this new connection. Arriving in North America,

Being in nature relieves the spirit, bringing “a better emotion” (9). Nature resolves inner turmoil, offering peace and tranquility, compared to everyday life. Being in the woods, “we return to reason and faith” (9). When society overwhelms one, one retreats to nature to regain a logical, calmer mindset. By explaining the ability to recover in nature, Emerson lures the reader in and motivates the reader to escape to the outdoors. This healing quality derives from a connection to nature that dates back thousands of years; “foregoing generations beheld God and nature face to face” (1). Humans now must continue to build on this attachment. The serious length of this relationship adds to the credibility of the restorative qualities of nature. Emerson describes experiencing “perfect exhilaration” in nature (9). Therefore, the reader becomes attracted to nature and the capabilities it holds. In nature, “a decorum and sanctity reign,” providing exemplary mannerisms and sanity and order for those who need it. Emerson states that no judgment plagues man in the woods, “no disgrace, no calamity,” nature allows us to freely understand our thoughts, and be a part of a bigger world (9). The beauty and awe of nature reminds us of the small part we play in a large world, humbling those who observe it, such as Emerson. Emerson’s sense of belonging cleansed him, and potentially will cleanse those in nature; “egotism vanishes” (9). By displaying the reform and alleviation nature provides, Emerson attracts the reader and appeals to