“ATOM BY ATOM, ALL THE WORLD INTO A NEW FORM”. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Theory of Reform
“ATOM BY ATOM, ALL THE WORLD INTO A NEW FORM”. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Theory of Reform

Summary/Abstract: The idea of dissent has often been discussed in association withthe works of the Transcendentalists, who greatly influenced the literaryand philosophical landscape of the United States in the 19th century. Thisarticle aims to shed light on an often-ignored side of Ralph Waldo Emersonwho, often described as an aloof thinker, was an adamant dissenterand, more specifically, a conscientious reformer. By focusing on his theoryof reform as expressed in a selection of essays devoted to this theme,this paper argues that Emerson’s concept of reform, though primarilydirected towards the individual, was also intended to have repercussionsin society at large. This dichotomy between individualism and communaleffort is analyzed in texts which cover a twenty-year span in Emerson’slife, to demonstrate that this dualism constitutes an opposition thatmust be reevaluated and ultimately resolved.

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