One could argue that beings are born with not five, but six senses. The six sense is an indescribable awareness and reasoning that allows individuals to process the world around them. Some may call this intuition, however, others may call this divine inspiration of God. Either way, it is undeniable that one must possess more than just the faculties of their five senses in order to successfully thrive. Transcendentalism capitalizes on the belief that there is in essence a six sense, by which, the world is understood. Hawthorne himself lived on a farm that practiced Transcendentalism and he married Sophia Peabody who also practiced Transcendentalism. Hawthorne used much of his background in Transcendentalism for basis in writing The Scarlett …show more content…
“Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century” (Goodman). The new writings gave the people of that era a sense of “newness” transcendentalism was often called the “New School” (Myerson). Transcendentalism essentially means that one’s knowledge about themselves and the earth “transcends” or surpasses what they can feel, taste, smell, touch or hear. (“Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy”). “The Transcendentalists were essentially syncretic, borrowing from various philosophies, literatures, and religions, whatever they felt was appropriate to their developing beliefs, and forging these borrowings into a new system” (Myerson). Transcendentalist believes that knowledge come through instinct or insight,not through facts or logics. They thought that people could be their own jurisdiction, they could make their own decision about right and wrong based on their sixth sense. These people felt everyone should be able to rule themselves. Transcendentalist leads many stands including, women’s rights, the reform, education, and abolition. They tried to spawn a generation of new creative minds, imagination and action. Although Transcendentalism is not a religion they did have faith that all would be fine and human could reach bewildering heights (“Transcendentalism, An American