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How did Walt Whitman use nature as a symbol in Leaves of Grass?

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“Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a kosmos” — Walt Whitman American poet Walt Whitman, photograph by Mathew Brady.

In Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman uses nature as a profound symbol to express his religious faith in the processes of life and the interconnectedness of the soul with the universe.12

Whitman’s central theme is the identification of the regenerative power of nature with a deathless divinity. He frequently employs natural imagery—such as sprouting grass, mating birds, phallic vegetation, the maternal ocean, and the formation of planets—to represent the "unflagging pregnancy" and fertility of the world.12

Furthermore, Whitman uses these natural elements to spiritualize concepts like sex, viewing it as a symbol of natural innocence and the "procreant urge of the world". By aligning his poetic style with the natural world—advocating for a form that is simple and organic, like a tree in harmony with its environment—he sought to transcend traditional aesthetic boundaries and express a universal, spiritual wisdom. Through these symbols, the poetic "I" in his work transcends time and space, binding the past, present, and future into a unified experience.12