Thinking Activity- Transcendentalism

 This blog is written in response to the thinking activity given by Trivedi Megha Ma’am on the topic of Transcendentalism at the Department of English, MKBU.

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement that began in the early 19th century in the United States. The movement was led by Philosophers and Writers, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller, and it had a significant impact on American literature, culture, and politics. It emphasizes the innate goodness of people and nature, the importance of self-reliance and individualism, and the pursuit of a higher spiritual understanding. Transcendentalists believe that knowledge can be attained not just through reason and the senses, but also through intuition and a direct connection to the divine.

Transcendentalism is a complex movement that incorporates elements of philosophy, religion, and literature. It was largely a reaction against the rationalism and materialism of the Enlightenment, as well as the religious orthodoxy of the time. Transcendentalists believed that people and nature are inherently good and that society and institutions often stifle individual potential and obscure the spiritual truths of the universe.

Some key ideas of transcendentalism include:

• Self-reliance: Transcendentalists believed that individuals should trust their own intuition and inner guidance rather than rely on external authority or tradition.
• Nature: Transcendentalists saw nature as a source of inspiration and spiritual revelation, and many, like Thoreau, advocated for a simpler, more natural lifestyle.
• Nonconformity: Transcendentalists rejected societal conventions and encouraged individuals to think for themselves and forge their own paths in life.
• Idealism: Transcendentalists believed that the material world is a mere shadow of a higher, more perfect reality.
• Reform: Transcendentalists were actively involved in various reforms, including abolition, women's rights, and education reform.

Understanding the core values of transcendentalism through movie

The secret life of Walter Mitty

“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

The movie was released on 3 January 2014. It was directed and acted by Ben Stiller and it was Adapted from the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber.

The movie Follows Walter Mitty, a negative asset manager of a magazine publishing company. He is assigned the task to develop the negative of the cover photo of the magazine's last issue. He loses the negative and to find it again he goes on the journey that changes his life.

Walter Mitty is a person that is not so famous among his colleagues, he doesn't have experienced or achieved anything that makes him famous or an interesting individual. 

Though in the movie we see that he lives in his own fantasy world, sometimes he holds back his feelings and emotions because of his introvertness. He is a very hardworking person but all his hard work goes unrecognized and without admiration. He likes his colleague Cheryl Melhoff but is hesitant to tell  her. Most of the time whatever he wants to do, he does it in his imagination.

The movie shows that when his father dies, he gives up his passion of Skating and various interests and starts working at a pizza company. He loses his free spirit and lives only in imaginations. He works hard for his family. He also forgets about his father's present to him on his birthday, a travel diary to write an account of his travel journey. But he becomes so busy earning that he forgets to travel and explore. He becomes trapped in his daily life.

When the challenge occurs to get back the lost negative and to impress Cheryl, he makes up his mind to go on the journey, the journey that leads him to travel Iceland, Greenland, Afghanistan and Himalaya.

Through the travelling journey he does some adventurous things like boarding a helicopter with a drunk pilot, jumping into ocean water from the helicopter, skating on board for miles, and seeing a mountain leopard. 

The journey was not just about getting a negative of a photo but through that journey he also does self discovery. He gains self-confidence. He becomes sure of himself and achieves his self importance. Walter comes out of his stereotypical daily life and finds new meaning in life. The nature filled places throughout the movie makes it a spiritual journey. 

In the company where Walter works have a motto and also can be seen in the wallet gifted to Walter and that is,

 “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

This quote is seen so many times in various scenes and various places throughout the movie as the main theme of the movie. The quote connects the movie to the core values of the Transcendentalism as it also indicates to find meaning in life and go beyond conventional social system and believing in spirituality of the natural and real world and the individuality.

At the end of the film Walter Mitty understands his value as an individual and gains lost meaning of life, self- confidence and importance.