Thoreau, Alcott, and the Mythic West

T H A T ’S W H A T I C A L L A H O R S E W O R T H H A V I N G ,’ S A I D T E D ." Fr o n tisp ie ce by C la r a M . Bu rd , fr om Jo ’s B o y s. THOREAU, a l c o t t , AND t h e My t h ic W e s t F r e d E r is m a n N o o n e c h a lle n g e s H e n r y D a v id T h o r e a u ’s p a r t in sh a p in g t h e A m e r ic a n se n se o f t h e m y t h ic W e st . A s R o b e r t D . R ic h a r d so n su g ­ g e st s in H e n r y T h o r e a u : A L if e o f th e M in d , T h o r e a u ’s life lo n g a d m i­ r a t io n o f t h e A m e r ic a n I n d ia n a d d s r e so n a n c e t o o u r c o n sc io u sn e ss o f t h e N a t iv e A m e r ic a n p e o p le s; h is d y in g w o r d s ( “M o o se . . . I n d ia n ” ) c o n fir m h is c o m m it m e n t a n d h is b e lie f; a n d h is p o st h u ­ m o u sly p u b lish e d e ssay , “W a lk in g ” ( 1 8 6 2 ) , e x p r e sse s fo r a ll t im e h is v isio n o f t h e W e st . It is h e r e t h a t h e sp e a k s o f st r o llin g e a st w a r d o n ly b y fo r c e b u t fr e e ly w a lk in g w e st w a r d . It is h e r e t h a t h e sp e a k s o f t h e W e st a s e n g e n d e r in g a n “A m e r ic a n m y t h o lo g y .” I t is h e r e h e sp e a k s o f t h e A m e r ic a n n a t io n ’s st e a d y m o v e m e n t w e st w a r d , a n d it is h e r e t h a t h e lin k s t h e W e st t o p r im o r d ia l e n e r g y w it h h is r in g in g a sse v ­ e r a t io n , “ in W ild n e ss is t h e p r e se r v a t io n o f t h e w o r ld ” ( 6 6 5 ) . H is v o ic e , h is w o r d s, a n d h is b e lie fs a r e in se p a r a b le fr o m o u r c o n sc io u s­ n e ss o f t...