in which he lived. While he was a strong abolitionist, for example, he did carry with him the racism of his time period, once likening blacks to animals ("elephants") and seeing them as having less reasoning capacity than whites. While he did embrace women intellectuals, such as Margaret Fuller, and would have wanted women to develop their God-given destinies, the use of pronouns and the assumption that his readers are deciding on a career (at a time when the vast majority of white women were homemakers) shows he was visualizing a male audience.

He assumes that his audience has the privilege of making choices about vocation and that their struggle is with the temptation of abandoning their destinies in order to conform to society and earn its rewards of wealth, honor, and power. Many people would not have this kind of choice to pick one path or another, but Emerson is not speaking to them.

In his day, Ralph Waldo Emerson was something like a rock star. Crowds came to listen to his lectures. Young people hearkened to his message that American society was on the verge of a new age; intellectuals responded to his philosophical ideas, and society in general responded to his optimism.

His essay "Self-Reliance" and its appeal to the young people was effected by his arguments that they were on the verge of a new age. In addition, many responded to his optimism and philosophical ideas, ideas about the relationships of humanity, nature, and God. Also popular was his belief that

[N]o government or church can explain a man’s heart to him, and so each individual must resist institutional authority.

Further, Emerson appealed to young people because he advocated acting from impulses, rather than rules, contending that the "self-reliant will triumph over the tyranny of time." This idea of trusting one's instincts and believing in one's unique talents and passions greatly appealed to many, especially the young, who felt that the nation—also young—was headed for greatness.

Emerson's target audience for his essay "Self-Reliance," first published in 1841 in his volume Essays: First Series, is the American reading public. In the essay, Emerson does not explicitly define his intended audience, but there are elements which suggest that he is chiefly addressing younger men.

Emerson speaks to an American audience, though his ideas have universal value. For example, he urges his audiences to be rooted in their home country, despite the urge to travel to Europe and view the long culture of antiquity. Self-reliance means looking forward, not backward. It is tied to a robust American path of individualism, advising Americans to carve out their own destinies.

Emerson seems to have a particular interest in young Americans. For example, in a passage that suggests his focus is on youth, Emerson writes:

God has armed youth and puberty and manhood no less with its own piquancy and charm, and made it enviable and gracious and its claims not to be put by, if it will stand by itself.

In other words, young men just starting out in life have a special charm that makes it easier for them to get away with following their own path. Society forgives young people for their impetuous individuality.

It may be that Emerson is particularly trying to impart his wisdom young people just as they are forging their lives, urging them to look inward to what their own souls yearn to do. He wants them to trust or rely on what their own hearts are telling them they should do, even if it is unorthodox. As for all people, this is the path to fulfillment and does much more good for society than simply conforming to what other people have decided is right and proper.