Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Emerson and Thoreau in their writings are trying to make sense of the human condition. Similarities in Hawthorne's and Melville's Works Insanity can be a dark descent into the strange, nightmarish unknown realms of the mind, unable to return to the known world of reason. This is a major theme in literature, and is particularly evident in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. The nightmarish undertones are one of the main similarities in Hawthorne's and Melville's works. Another similarity is the writing style. Both men write very descriptively, and their writing is based more in intellect than emotion. Emerson and Thoreau had extremely similar views and thoughts, as evidenced in their writing. A main idea that both Emerson and Thoreau discuss is the idea that if people focus on material things, and model their lives around them and worship them, then they will never find joy and truth in the simple, natural beauties of life. Emerson writes: "If thou fill thy brain with Boston and New York, with fashion and covetousness, and wilt stimulate thy jaded senses with wine and French coffee, thou shalt find no radiance of wisdom in the lonely waste of the pine woods" (Emerson, P. 29). Similarly, in Walden, Thoreau writes: "Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind...We worship not the Graces, but Fashion" (Walden, P. 19). Poe shows his similarities with the other authors that is once again talking about the human condition in his writings of "The Premature Burial" and "The Masque of the Red Death". In both of these writings Poe is trying to understand why people have an obsession with death or why they try to attempt to escape death knowing that it is inevitable. Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Emerson, and Thoreau in their writings are speaking about life and understanding life so that each person can live it to its fullest.
Worked Cited:
Perkins, George and Perkins Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature. Vol 1. Michigan: Eastern University and Toledo: University 2012. Web. 08 Aug. 2013
Francis, Roger A. “The Final Days of Edgar Allan Poe: Clues To An Old Mystery Using 21St Century Medical Science.”Omega: Journal Of Death &Dying60.2 (2009): 165-173. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Aug. 2013.
Emerson, Ralph W. The complete works of Ralph Waldo Emerson: Essays. 2d series [Vol. 3] "The Poet" (1803-1882): 1-42. Web. 10 Aug. 2013
THOREAU, David: “Walden – an annotated edition” (1854): Web. Viewed 31 July 2013. Retrieved from
http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html
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