The biblical expression "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" ("Ashes to ashes") relates to Bryant's view because death is natural, begins with nature, and ends with nature. This biblical expression can be traced throughout the bible and represents the formation, life of man, and destruction, death of man. Bryant's work, "Thanatopsis", clearly depicts the same idea of life and death. Thanatopsis shows that death is a venerable force of nature that is inevitable, but is an eloquent necessity. Thus, the biblical expression and "Thanatopsis" agree that death is natural and should not be feared because "dust" will return to "dust". .
First, one must understand the background of the quote "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", before on can fully understand how it relates to "Thanatopsis". The quote is taken from Genesis 3:19: "By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return" (Genesis 3:19, NLT). This verse supports the concept of nature returning to nature. In fact, the quote "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", was first used at an English burial service. Another scripture that can be tied into this idea is Job 30:19: "He has thrown me into the mud. I'm nothing more than dust and ashes" (Job 30:19, NLT). The ash and dust is symbolic of the components that make the human body. The biblical expression utterly means "the dust will return to the earth" (Ecclesiastes 12:7, NLT). .
Now, an analysis of "Thanatopsis", must be made before one can comprehend the relationship between these two ideas. The word thanatopsis means the meditation of death. This poem reveals that death should not be feared because it is part of the natural order. Death is depicted as a "couch more magnificent" (Bryant, l 33) than one can wish.
