Based on the beliefs of Romanticism and Transcendentalism, Emerson refused to mourn, even over the deaths of his mother and brother (Edmundson). Emerson somehow linked the act of mourning to conformity, and therefore refused to take part in it; to Emerson, mourning would mean wasting time by focusing on traditional customs and values instead of finding one's "inner self", and would therefore break the true beliefs of Romanticism, and specifically Transcendentalism, which are against anything to do with conformity (Edmundson).
Emerson also denounced self-reformation through religious, social, or literary forms because they are external forms, and the only way to really find one's true self is purely through one's entire self (Edmundson). To rely or depend on something or someone else is to start the phase of mourning, and by this definition, Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" is a paradox because he is intentionally influencing his own beliefs on the reader for him or her to adopt (Edmundson).
Edmund also points out another deep flaw in Emerson's beliefs: the never-ending circle or "perpetual motion" in which Emerson basically creates by disowning any form of "mourning", which excludes quite a bit by his definition, and advising one to solely function in the moment of "transition" (Edmundson). In Emersonian terms, this transition is the moment where the mind has stopped between the past and ability to enter into a new state, when all of one's energies have been invested in creativity (Edmundson). Since this is basically the only thing that Emerson does not deem as a state of mourning, he seems to encourage one to exist in this state. Existing in this state is fruitless though, and therefore a pointless circle of invested energy in random creative ideas and philosophies about reinventing one's self. No progress can be made in this state because one can not truly commit his or herself to one set of ideas or rule due to the fact that this would contradict ideas of Romanticism or Transcendentalism (Edmundson).
To further reveal more flaws of Emerson's system, Edmundson compares him to Freud. Freud and Emerson are similar in that they both discourage the attachment to one single thing in life, but different in that Freud is aware that the human ego cannot be stopped to continue relying, even a tiny bit, on "our first crucial attachments", and Emerson underestimates this stubborn tendency of the ego (Edmundson). Edmunson states that Emerson began to later realize this, perhaps due to the death of his son, and attempted to alter his system a little bit in regard to these flaws by accepting the laws of fate (Edmundson). The total effect of his son's death on him is ultimately what alters his beliefs and stubborn claims against any ideas related to mourning. Shown by works of his after this point in his life, he began a new system of "redeeming grief" (Edmundson). Instead of attempting to sever all ties with any type of mourning, Emerson begins to attempt to recreate the actions of fate, basically to be able to feel that he is in control of the actions and feelings that follow them, and therefore not committing to a true act of mourning (Edmundson). By doing this, he is attempting to prove to himself that spirit can define nature more powerfully than nature can define spirit. In the end, Edmundson has defined this as a "self-destroying self-invention" and the possible force behind Romanticism.
Recognizing the flaws and tragedies that are created within the system of beliefs and regulations of Romanticism and Transcendentalism explains why Emerson had to reject Romanticism in his later years. His loss of his son was the ultimate force behind his rejection because it forced to him to rethink all his beliefs as well as his stubborn stance on the idea of mourning. There were too many flaws within these beliefs that contradicted each other and proved to be non-progressive and unsuccessful in terms of Romanticism.
Works Cited
Edmundson, Mark."Emerson and the Work of Melancholia." Raritan (Spring 1987). Quoted as
"Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson,
Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing,
2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 11 Nov 2010.
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