Christopherson, Emerson and Thoreau; Rebels Without a Cause?

The common misconception is that Emerson was an advocate for rebelling. Rebelling against society and social norms and doing only whatever the hell one wanted to do. The truth of the matter found in his essay "Self Reliance" is he was a man who believed in the concept of originality and for trusting and pursuing ones natural instincts. Emerson felt that everyone had something to contribute to the world, but by conforming to societal norms they were selling themselves short and in turn making the world a lesser place because they were not living up to their full potential. Thoreau was more of the rebel. I think Thoreau took this idea of nonconformity a little to the extreme, maybe he even misinterpreted it some. Emerson stressed originality and the pursuit of natural instincts, yet its seems as though Thoreau contorts these ideas in "Civil Disobedience" to support his radical views against government and how citizens shouldn't conform to obey their government. While Emerson thought that people should use their time on Earth to be the person they were created to be in order to better the world, Thoreau was more anti-community and in a way, self-absorbed. He did not advocate that one excercising their individuality should work to make the world a better place as he was much more concerned with individual well-being and happiness. Neither did Emerson advocate originality and individuality so that it intereferred with an individual's ability to function in society, but Thoreau seems to be all for rebelling against society if it tries to "crush" one's independence and ability to rely on one's self. Ultimately while Emerson and Thoreau may have been influenced by one another and had similiar ideas, Emerson was not as apt to rebel against social construction and conformity as Thoreau.