Romanticism essay

“Simplify, simplify” was what Thoreau said to show his thoughts on how to live life, but Melville, a Dark Romantic writer, thinks that it is nonsense. This relates to the chosen selections in that the selections talk about having a simplified life or not having a simplified life. “Walden” is about Thoreau, who narrates his thoughts about society and life. He discusses that a simplified life is the best one and that society has pulled away from nature. “Bartleby” is a satire, something that is meant to make fun of, of “Walden” and Thoreau. Melville makes fun of Thoreau’s thoughts and Transcendentalism by creating Bartleby, who follows Transcendentalism 100%, which later leads to his downfall. For “Walden” and “Bartleby”, Thoreau is for and Melville is against the fact that there is value in simplicity through not only Thoreau experiencing simplicity in life and the meaning of Walden Pond to Thoreau but also through men not accepting Bartleby.
In “Walden”, Thoreau shows the reader that a simplified life is for the best because he himself has experienced it. For example, when he was in solitude in his house that he built, “[he] experienced sometimes that the most sweet and tender, the most innocent and encouraging society may be found in any natural object…there can no black melancholy to him who live in the midst of Nature and has his senses still” ( Thoreau, 122). Thoreau explains that even the simplest thing in life, like how he is trying to be, can be important and encouraging. This shows that someone does not have to be complex in order to have meaning in life. Another experience he has was when he explains the nature of the ponds and says about his experiment, that “if living thus reserved and austere, like a hermit in the woods, so long, it has acquired such wonderful purity, who would not regret…” ( Thoreau, 177). In this quote, he explains that while living in the woods in simplicity, he gained something: purity. He also wants to emphasize that the gains with being simple in life are many and not few. As shown in “Walden”, Thoreau’s experiences lead him to show us that a simplified life has meaning.
Just as Thoreau explains to the reader that a simplified life is for the best, so also does he describe, although not directly, the meaning of Walden Pond to him. As he describes Walden Pond, he says that “the scenery of Walden is on a humble scale…this pond is so remarkable for its depth and purity as to merit a particular description” (Thoreau, 162). He explains that something as humble and simple as a lake can have its recognition, even more so than other complex things. This pond is a basis for all things that he believes in. Later on, Thoreau continues on describing these lakes in that “they are too pure to have market value; they contain no muck. How much more beautiful than our lives, how much more transparent than our characters, are they” (Thoreau, 182)! Again, he presents his statement of simplicity and purity by likening the lakes to it. This description of the lakes is everything that Thoreau either longs to have or wants to reveal to everybody. Through this description, the reader can now see the importance of Walden Pond to someone like Thoreau.
Although, in “Walden”, Thoreau talks about simplicity as good, in “Bartleby”, through the conflict between Bartleby and men, the reader can see Melville’s point of view on simplicity as it being nonsense. When simple Bartleby prefers not to examine his copy, the narrator asks “‘Turkey,’ said [he], ‘what do you think of this? Am I not right?’ ‘With submission, sir,’ said Turkey, with his blandest tone, ‘I think that you are.’ ‘Nippers,’ said [he], ‘what do you think of it?’ ‘I think I should kick him out of the office’” (Melville, 14). Melville demonstrates that being simple is not that simple, nor is it good. This is because in being simple, anyone can get annoying to many people, as is seen with Bartleby. Just as anyone can get annoying, so also can they be of harm to themselves. This is shown when the grub-man asks about Bartleby and says “‘his dinner is ready. Won’t he dine to-day, either? Or does he live without dining?’ ‘Lives without dining.’ said I” (Melville, 41). As is shown in this quote, because Bartleby became too simple, he eventually died. This is probably the main point in which Melville wanted to show us. As in “Walden”, where simplicity is good, in “Bartleby”, simplicity is shown as nonsense.
In “Walden” and “Bartleby”, Thoreau and Melville are on opposing ends of the fact that there is value in simplicity through not only Thoreau experiencing simplicity in life and the meaning of Walden Pond to Thoreau but also through men not accepting Bartleby. In this paper, the main point is the argument of simplicity between Melville and Thoreau who have opposite thoughts about this topic. As Thoreau talks of the benefits and the greatness in being simple, Melville has other thoughts. Melville thinks that being simple in life will not last in today’s world, and Bartleby soon dies in the end. These selections should improve and give information for one’s life in that one should be simple in life, but should still be a little complex and not too simple. Regardless of what path one chooses, there will always be hardships that will need to be endured.