Social Unity Theme Analysis

In his essay “The American Scholar,” Emerson urges his audience to remember that they are important parts of a larger whole and that, as scholars, they have a specific function in society: to facilitate unity. He asserts that all people, no matter their education or social standing, play equally important roles in creating and maintaining a successful society. As it is, however, Emerson says that society has become so divided that individuals have lost pride in the work they do and do not recognize that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Emerson therefore argues that it is among the chief duties of the American scholar to find and share the connections and universal truths that will help unite mankind and inspire future generations.

Although individuals are, in Emerson’s opinion, inextricably bound to one another by metaphysical ties, he also contends that “the state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk.” Instead of feeling united and valued, individuals within the larger society feel isolated from one another. Emerson believes that social and economic barriers prevent individual men and women from understanding the “true dignity” of their role in society. This means they begin to work solely for their own benefit, and not for society as a whole. To help bridge this divide, Emerson encourages his audience to engage in all types of work, saying, “There is virtue yet in the hoe and the spade for learned as well as unlearned men.” That “virtue” is that they will develop a better understanding of their fellow men by working alongside them. Emerson believes that men should not be classified and separated from one another based on their individual roles: “Man is not a farmer, or a professor, or an engineer, but he is all.” This highlights his conviction that there is an undercurrent of unity that binds all of humankind—no matter how outwardly different—together. 

Emerson adheres to “the doctrine that man is one,” and posits that by developing an understanding of a range of individuals and of the self, the scholar can discover universal truths that are applicable and beneficial to all people. Emerson argues that “you must take the whole society to find the whole man.” This means that to find universal truths that will benefit all, scholars must not limit their social experiences and observations to one group, but seek “frank intercourse with many men and women.” While interactions with a wide variety of other people is essential, it is also important that scholars explore their own thoughts and feelings because, as Emerson argues, the scholar will learn “that in going down to the secrets of his own mind he has descended into the secrets of all minds.” As the “delegated intellect” of mankind, the scholar must devote their life to discovering and sharing these “secrets” of themselves and others in the hope that it will help reestablish a sense of unity among individuals.

Beyond introspection and having forming relationships with other people, Emerson also advocates that scholars should play an active role in unifying American culture. “The office of the scholar,” says Emerson, “is to cheer, to raise, and to guide men by showing them facts amidst appearances.” That is to say that the scholar must look beyond the surface divisions of society and formulate ideas and observations that will help other people do the same. Emerson writes, “The world is his who can see through its pretension,” meaning that a good scholar is one who can look beyond the societal mores that were designed to divide people and recognize the common elements that unify all human beings. He praises the literature that focuses on “the near, the low, the common” over that which only deals with “the great, the remote, the romantic” because it portrays a segment of society that had largely been neglected, thus helping members of the upper classes realize they have something in common with those of lower status. Emerson believes that scholars in the United States will break free of antiquated European literary and artistic traditions to create something distinctly American that will help unify the nation and create a new sense of national pride.

One of Emerson’s most passionate beliefs was in the interconnectedness of mankind, and he mourned the fact that society had devolved and divided itself to such a point that individuals no longer recognized the importance of the role they played in society. America, as far as Emerson was concerned, had arrived at a crisis and it was time for it to pull away from the social customs and traditions that dominated Europe and create something new that would reestablish a sense of oneness and belonging for Americans from every walk of life. In Emerson’s view, it was the unique role of the scholar, society’s “delegated intellect,” to accomplish this goal and cement America’s place in the world as its own distinct nation worthy of respect and admiration.