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Bryce Matway

American Literature

19 October 2020

The Building of the American Voice

In writing, the perspective of a writer can be described as the voice of the author. Voice

is used in every form of literature whether it is a short story, poem, or essay. For example,

British literature has a unique voice. When the United States broke away from the British after

the Revolutionary war, the American people did not have any history to incorporate a distinctive

voice into their stories. In order to create a history, Washington Irving and Oliver Wendell

Holmes used romanticism in their literary works to create an illusion of a rich American past.

While Ralph Waldo Emerson uses transcendentalism to describe how the American people

should never conform to the unjust rule. Irving, Holmes, and Thoreau use the traits of

romanticism and transcendentalism to build the American voice.

Irving is known for his ability to apply romanticism to be descriptive in his folklore. His

storytelling abilities are seen in the short story “The Devil and Tom Walker”. In this story, Tom

Walker makes a deal with the devil in exchange for his soul which leads him to great wealth in

life. But his soul would be taken by the devil when he dies. Nostalgia is the most prevalent

romantic trait in this story because it is trying to point to an easier time where there were fewer

troubles like in a little town outside Boston Massachusetts in the year 1727. Nostalgia in a

romantic sense is about trying to make the reader think about a much simpler time which is what

builds the American Voice.

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The romantic characteristic of Nostalgia adds to an essential part of the American voice

which is setting. Irving refers to a town, “A few miles from Boston, in Massachusetts, there is a

deep inlet winding several miles into the interior of the country from Charles Bay, and

terminating in a thickly wooded swamp or morass” (Irving 1). The chances of a town evolving

outside of a major town like Boston and having so much history is unrealistic especially at that

time. Because the American people were trying to separate themselves from the British even

with their writing, they needed to employ the technique of nostalgia to build an American history

and a setting that did not exist. This was integral to building the American voice.

Like Irving, Holmes is known for his ability to use romanticism in his literary works,

however instead of a short story he uses poetry to build the American voice. Longfellow is

known as one of the fireside poets who would create poems to help the average American family

relax after a long day of work. In the poem, “The Two Streams” Holmes describes how two

streams can flow from the same starting location but conclude in two drastically different

locations. However, this poem is referring to the independence and individuality of people.

Every person’s life can be changed by one rock that diverts the stream. Everybody’s life can start

from the same place but, “From the same cradle’s side, / From the same mother’s knee, — / One

to long darkness and the frozen tide, / One to the Peaceful Sea!” (Holmes). All it takes is one

event in life to divert a person off their path and into a dark place or a place of prosperity.

These traits of independence and individuality are used in romanticism but are also major

components of the American voice. Independence is one feature of Romanticism used by the

United States’ writers as they broke away from England. Also, individuality builds the American

voice because the United States wanted to be completely separated from the British. The
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Americans even established their voice in writing to separate themselves from the British.

Independence and individuality were very important in building the American voice.

Thoreau was known as a transcendentalist, the techniques of which are based off

romanticism, but also has some differences. Thoreau was known for social non-conformity. He

spoke on the support of the right of protest and, “the obligation to rebel non-violently. Not

merely the right to rebel. But the necessity" (Woods). Thoreau was adamant that people should

stand up for what they believe and rebel against the government if necessary. He believed “That

government is best which governs least” (Thoreau 3). Thoreau used the first amendment to show

that tyrannical government will never succeed, and the people must lead for a nation to thrive.

He also wrote several essays about how the American people should stand up to tyranny, one of

which being his famous essay, “Civil Disobedience”. The main transcendentalist trait in this

essay is non-conformity. In this work, Thoreau spoke about how it was appropriate for him to

not pay his taxes and that he could not let his money be used to fuel an American war. Despite

this being morally and legally wrong, the underlying theme of non-conformity is very important.

The transcendentalist trait of non-conformity parallels the American voice trait of

rebellion. Rebellion is an important part of the American voice because the American people

were oppressed by the British. So, when they rebelled and were able to separate themselves from

the British government. They saw the ability to protest as a crucial part of their country. This

built the American voice because it was so important that they rebelled against the British

government to positively alter the history of the country.

Irving, Holmes, and Thoreau built the American voice by using traits from both

romanticism and transcendentalism in their respective styles. These authors used their unique
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abilities to help create an American history that did not exist previously. To further differentiate

themselves from Britain, these authors used the American voice to ensure that American and

British literature would not be confused with each other. The concept of voice is used in every

style of writing and the American voice is unique to itself.

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Irving, Washington. The Devil and Tom Walker. Putnam, Davis and Co., 1896.

Sr., Oliver Wendell Holmes. “The Two Streams by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.” Poetry
Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44385/the-two-streams.

Thoreau, Henry David, and Bob Pepperman Taylor. Civil Disobedience. Broadview Press, 2016.

Woods, Alan. "The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail: Introduction." Drama for Students, edited by

David M. Galens, vol. 16, Gale, 2003. Gale Literature Resource Center,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420044679/LitRC?

u=pl3693&sid=LitRC&xid=5b3aa2e4. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020. Originally published in

Selected Plays of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, edited by Alan Woods, Ohio State

University Press, 1995, pp. 447-506.