An Unexpected Experience Gained From an Excursion Exploring the West

Abstract

Emily Dickinson so precisely described how the natural world has an uncanny way of connecting to the human mind and spirit by writing, “Nature is what we know--/Yet have no art to say--/So impotent Our Wisdom is/To her Simplicity.” This notion is one that many others have felt themselves and one that has also influenced others to convey their own experiences through written expression. Mark Twain, noted as the father of American literature, wrote the book Roughing It, a semi-autobiographical work that tells of his experiences in the western part of the United States, from the Nevada to California territories, during the years 1861 to 1867. John Muir, an advocate for wilderness preservation and founder of the Sierra Club, published his own diary entries in the book, My First Summer in the Sierra, recounting the sensations nature brought to him and the specific findings he discovered as a naturalist during 1869. Each of these renowned pieces of literature not only gives a description of the landscape and the authors’ time living in it, but also a reflection on the discoveries and emotions that accompany it. Through the works of Twain and Muir that describe their adventures pioneering the Sierra Nevada mountain range during the mid 19th century, the compelling descriptions toward an unfamiliar place promoted the concepts of the adventurous spirit of pioneering, the development of a relationship with nature, and the American character. The power of nature emerged from the narration of these two authors and convinced readers to venture to the lands of California themselves.