Transcendentalism is an eighteenth-century literary movement inspired by German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Transcendentalists highlight the positive aspect of nature and believe in the inherent goodness of humankind. However, writers known as the anti- transcendentalists dispute the validity of these transcendentalist concepts. Anti-transcendentalists focus on the dark and destructive forces and nature and espouse the concept of Original Sin, the belief that all humanity is inherently evil, because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Three major American anti-transcendentalists are Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.
             First, Herman Melville reveals his anti-transcendentalist views in his novel Moby Dick. One example of Melville's low opinion of humanity is Captain Ahab's plan for vengeance against Moby Dick. Moby Dick is a whale with a white head, creased brow and a bent jaw with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke. Starbuck, one of Captain Ahab's seamen, questions him if Moby Dick is the whale that took off his leg. Ahab then cries out that Moby Dick did take his leg and has him hopping on a dead stump. Melville writes "Aye, aye! and I'll chase him round Good Hope and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up. And this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood and rolls fin out" (317). Additionally, Melville illustrates his dark view of nature with the danger of hunting whales, particularly Moby Dick. Hunters are caught in the rage of the whale's attack have seen the terrors he breeds. Assaults by the whale toward the whale hunters obtain twist wrist and ankles, broke limbs, or a ruin amputations. The author states, "Such men protesting that although other leviathans might be hopefully pursued, yet to chase...