Transcendentalism

In the episode of “Ed”, ideas of Emerson and Thoreau are shown through the show. Over the course of the show the characters have to deal with three different conflicts presented. Also, different characters develop different viewpoints on how to live their lives. Some of these viewpoints come from the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau, especially from Thoreau�s Walden. The two main viewpoints on how to live life are extremely contradictory and the protagonist, Ed, is caught in the middle trying to decide which road he will take to live a full life.

Throughout this TV episode of “Ed”, there are three threads of plot that are intertwined. The first plot is due to the character Ed thinking that he is getting old because he keeps hearing his bones cracking. He goes to his doctor friend, who tells him not to worry that it is normal with aging but this frightens Ed and he want to find a way to live a fulfilling life. He later finds his old diary and tries to do all the things he did that same week when he was younger, even though his friend tell him it would be nearly impossible to do the exact same things as he did when he was younger. The second plot deals with the character Waren after Thoreau’s Walden is assigned to be read in his English class. He becomes fascinated with Thoreau’s work and takes on his views and ideas on how to live life. The last plot threaded in the episode deals with Willie Johnson, a bacon salesman, who after being in a near death accident changes his viewpoints on life. He takes a “do everything” view on life and it is constantly getting him into trouble and Ed has to go bail him out of the different situations he gets into.

Throughout the episode there are two main viewpoints on how to live life. Two characters stand behind a certain viewpoint. The first viewpoint is to change you life deliberately to simplicity, meaning not using more than needed to live life, getting away from the material things of society unneeded to continue living,