Ralph Waldo Emerson: The Theme of Nature In His Works Ralph Waldo Emerson stresses the theme of nature in most of his literary works. He was the first of his fathers side of the family to not become a Unitarian minister like his father, or his clergyman ancestors dating back to the time of the Puritans. In my opinion, and many others opinions, made him a non-conformist which he called, “Selfism”. Emerson’s first book, Nature (1936), is perhaps the best expression of his Transcendentalism, the belief that everything in our world--even a drop of dew-- is a microcosm of the universe. His concept of the Over-Soul-- a Supreme Mind t