“The integrity of the impression made by the manifold natural objects... in the tranquil landscape, and especially in the distant horizon line, man sees something as beautiful as his own nature” (Emerson ). Rather than providing a technical, concrete definition of nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson brings a new vision to how nature is defined. Indeed, other authors and individuals have fashioned their own definition of nature: what they believe it possesses beyond what it encompasses. This topic has been widely discussed, peaking in the 19th century. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are responsible for the fixation of nature in literature, and Christopher McCandless and Cheryl Strayed are responsible for bringing that fixation into a more recent time period. Nature was and is a prevalent theme in literature and society; however, each individual sees it differently. Although Emerson, Thoreau, McCandless, and Strayed all took similar approaches to interacting with nature, they differ in their beliefs of what nature offers individuals. It is easier to compare Emerson and Thoreau than to contrast. Both are distinguished supporters of the Transcendentalist period. These individuals were deliberately devoted to the perfectibility of the soul, the divinity of each individual, and the value of collective social action; however, they had different visions of what nature offered. The Thoreau we have known is defined as a figure of ecological awareness, who manages to separate himself from society, while simultaneously becoming a nominal leader of transcendentalism (Sullivan 2). He writes a small novel, intended for those who lived in Concord, Massachusetts, where he provides answers to those who questioned him while he lived alone in Walden Pon...... middle of paper ......riences or interactions we had. So, what do you think nature offers? Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature: Speeches and Conferences. Blacksburg, VA: VirginiaTech, 2001. Print. Krakauer, Jon. "Death of an Innocent: How Christopher McCandless Got Lost in Nature." External magazine (1993). Print.Richardson, Robert D. Emerson: The Mind on Fire. Berkeley: University of California, 1995. Print.Saverin, Diana. "The Problem of Chris McCandless' Obsession." Outside Magazine (2013).Press.Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found along the Pacific Crest Trail. New York1:Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.Sullivan, Robert. The Thoreau You Don't Know: What the Prophet of Environmentalism Really Meant. New York: Collins, 2009. Print.Thoreau, Henry David. Walden: And about the duty of civil disobedience. FloatingPress, 2008. Print.