The impact the transcendental movement had on American literature cannot be underestimated. “Reawakening an interest in the great problems of human nature and destiny,” authors such as Emerson, Alcott and Brownson, for example, forced the transcendental movement into the path of Henry David Thoreau. (Spiller, 346) As a self proclaimed “mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher,” Thoreau’s works invite the reader to explore his intuitive philosophy (Spiller, 121). Furthermore, Walden proves itself to be an …showed first 75 words of 1245 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1245 total…around the goal of integrating everyday existence with spiritual existence. Thoreau not only succeeds in accomplishing this ideal, but goes further to establish himself as a respected part of the transcendental movement. Transcendentalism and Walden Works Cited Spiller, Robert E. Literary History of the United States. The MacMillan Co., New York, N.Y., 1968. Baym, Nina and Wayne Franklin et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, N.Y.,1994.