Walt Whitman's

Among the plethora of great American authors Walt Whitman is easily one of the most notable. In his anthology of poems titled Leaves of Grass, Whitman used imagery and symbolism to touch on a variety of concepts. One of the most profound of these concepts being: Infinity and the continuation of the soul. His writing reveals his belief in infinity, and the constant cycle between life and death. Two poems that illustrate these ideas are "Song of Myself" and "We Two, How Long We Were Fool'd."

Infinity is defined as the act of being everlasting. A person can be considered infinite through the continuation of their soul after death. There are countless numbers of tales discussing infinity and life after death, but in all of them the spirit is the only part of any individual that is completely immortal. The soul can also be reincarnated into any living thing in nature. All of this is considered the cycle of life and death. There are a variety of ways Whitman introduces the idea of infinity. He celebrates and loves life, nature, and people. In the poem, "Song of Myself," Whitman uses metaphors where he both implies and states his beliefs in infinity. In the first line of section 5 of "Song of Myself," Whitman says "I believe in you my soul..." ("Song of Myself" 25). His constant metaphorical hints show Whitman's true beliefs, that when we die we maintain existence through our souls.