The society that emerged from the late 19th century was a world full of materialists and imperialism; so as the new philosophy of Transcendentalism spread, which focused on the divinity of oneself and of nature, it was a breathe of fresh air. This new concept took root in New England, and a band of radical thinkers soon came forth resisting the industrialization of the nation, focusing rather on the individual soul (Wilson). One such Transcendentalist withstanding the changing times was Henry David Thoreau, and he resisted both directly and subtly. Thoreau always pushed nature and the transcendental self over materialism in his works, thereby rebelling subtly. He also wrote numerous essays, including one entitled, Civil Disobedience, in which he spoke of non-violent resistance against the powers that be, thereby resisting directly. Through his Transcendental writing style, Thoreau utilized Post Colonialism as well, thereby supporting my theory that Transcendentalism was an early expression or form of Post Colonialism.

     When comparing Transcendentalism to Post Colonialism, one can see how similar the two really are because they both center around resisting authority. Transcendentalism is a philosophy "that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical" (Merriam). This means that rather than having a focus on the possessions and the power a person has, Transcendentalists focus on the dignity of humanity and the close associations with nature rather than with the empirical power. The philosophy teaches of believing in the individuality of oneself over the joint authority of others, thereby showing resistance in that the power is now in the hands of the individual. Post Colonialism "resists the universals" and "covers all the cultures affected by the imperial process" (Rimes). Ultimately, it teaches resistance in the subaltern world in order to be heard. The Post Colonial Theory was not completely established until the mid 20th century, whereas Transcendentalism expressed similar ideas back in the late 19th century. This in itself shows how Transcendentalism is an ancestor of Post Colonialism.

     Another characteristic the two theories share is how the struggle for power eventually leads to the creation of two different worlds or ideals. In nearly all Transcendental doctrines, one can see how reality is divided into the realm of matter and the realm of the spirit (Abelson). The spirit can be interpreted as a representation of the individual whereas the matter is materialism. Post Colonialism "manifests two quite different impulses that remain in perpetual tension within its strategies and trajectories" (Rimes). These two impulses are represented by the imperial power and the subaltern, which is the subordinate to the authority. The mere existence of these divisions found in both philosophical ideas shows a closeness between the two.

     In Thoreaus book Cape Cod, one can see ties to Transcendentalism which in turn are really just early expressions of Post Colonialism. The book itself really has no plot or basic form, as most of Thoreaus books do not. Rather, it is merely a day by day travel log so to say, narrating his various accounts and observations while on a journey through Cape Cod. This style in itself shows a breaking away from the "universal" characteristics of a book, for example story line, character development, etc. But the most prominent Transcendental aspect of the book is Thoreaus constant reference to the nature around him. Whether it be how he "heard the sea roar on the eastern shore" or how he saw the "water growing darker and darker and deeper and deeper" (Thoreau), Thoreau, like many other Transcendentalists of his time, saw great importance in even the smallest aspects of nature. Linking this concept to Post Colonialism, one can see that two divisions can be created when analyzing Cape Cod, the natural side and the material side. Thoreau chose nature and upon doing so became the subaltern, according to Post Colonialism, creating an opposition to the a priori notion that Cape Cod was and is an industrialized part of Massachusetts. And so now the idea of a civil resistance surfaces. In his own way, Thoreau used Cape Cod to spread Transcendental ideals, and subsequently spread a sort of Post Colonialism insurgence, in such a manner that people who read it are unaware of the rebellion going on in each and every word of the book.

     Aside from the nature overtones, the Transcendental philosophy deals with a "principle of self-interest" (St. Jean). This self-interest "emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience" (Merriam). Thoreau exemplifies this in Cape Cod by means of his constant allusion to the ocean. The ocean is an archetype representing a female, which in turn is representative of new life or possibly even rebirth. Upon reading all of the exerts about the ocean, one may come to the conclusion that Thoreau is merely documenting his observations regarding his surrounding environment. However, I feel that in his astute repetition of the water element, he is really encouraging the rebirth of oneself both mentally and spiritually so as to concentrate on ones own "principle of self-interest." In doing so, the rebirth will allow the individual to challenge the materialistic ideals of society so as to devote themselves fully to a life of natural spirituality.

     Power, wealth, and possessions dominated the industrialized society back in the 1800s, as they do in todays society. In both worlds, the subaltern was unintentionally created in response to the materialistic concepts and the formation of Transcendentalism and Post Colonialism followed in suit. The similarities between the two notions are remarkable, and I cannot help but to think that Transcendentalism is the ancestor of Post Colonialism. In reality, they are more closely related than any theorist or philosopher ever realized. Though some specific details differ between the two, they both focus heavily on challenging societys universals head on in order to create a different society. Post Colonialism encourages individuals to rise up with new conceptions for the world. Thoreau used Transcendentalism to answer that call, declaring that nature is that long awaited concept. As it is so eloquently stated by Transcendentalist Joan Lauri Poole, "And it did not matter. that what we were. was not what we wanted to be. We were lovers of little epiphanies, prisoners of our gooseflesh" (Poole).