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Motifs
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Paragraphs 10-11
Explanation and Analysis—New England Society:
As an argumentative essay, “Self-Reliance” does not have an explicit geographic setting; it doesn’t take place in any particular place or time. However, as Emerson’s speaker defines themselves and their ideals in contrast to the society around them, this society becomes the backdrop for the essay. Emerson writes about society’s structures—including cities, schools, trade, and churches—and its people, who fill in this landscape. Often, he places “the individual” within this milieu:
For nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure. And therefore a man must know how to estimate a sour face. The by-standers look askance on him in the public street or in the friend’s parlor.
Here, places like the “public street” and the “friend’s parlor” are mentioned in passing, as is typical in the essay. But these mentions make up the landscape of “Self-Reliance,” serving as the backdrop for scenarios in which Emerson wants people to rely on themselves rather than on the approval of society.
Additionally, Emerson’s arguments are clearly situated in the context of young America and New England. Transcendentalist ideas developed in New England in the 19th century as an attempt to reform the Unitarian church. But eventually, the transcendentalists began thinking more broadly, criticizing many aspects of American society. Transcendentalism also aimed to create a distinctly American culture that broke with the Enlightenment ideals of Europe. Emerson’s ideas developed in this context, meaning that “Self-Reliance” responds to life in New England in the 1800s.
Related Themes:
