An Essay on Man

The speaker uses the chain of being to help readers understand how society works. People’s relationships to each other as well as to the rest of the universe are conveyed by an infinite chain that includes both sentient living things and the rest of Nature. The speaker uses the phrase “plastic Nature” (Epistle 3, Line 9). They mean Nature as a sculptor or artist who molded the chain with the infinite wisdom of God, knowing where each being belongs. The speaker also mentions atoms and the forces of repulsion and attraction (Epistle 3, Lines 11-12). This illustrates the way that the chain of being works, from the smallest and simplest life forms to larger and more complex organisms, like humans. The chain of being exemplifies the sense of symmetry and balance that the speaker believes characterizes the universe. They state that God would not be cruel “to man alone” (Epistle 1, Line 186) and make him ill-suited for the world. Every single chain in the link is essential: one broken link will break the entire chain, regardless of the place it occupies in the hierarchy.