The Romantic Era came to a close transforming into the Age of Queen
Buckley describes an Anglican priest’s description of conversion. The man states that conversion comes only from a “troubled soul beset with a liberating despair…and a passionate desire to find some new centre [sic] of life.” (Buckley, course pack, 595) Carlyle’s excerpt describes a man during a time of conversion, a painful time. However, the man finds his way out of this dark place only by locating the “inarticulate Self-consciousness [sic] [that] dwells dimly within us.” (Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, cp 606) Carlyle writes that someone can only overcome this self-consciousness by himself; we are, in a sense, our own enemy. “The fearful Unbelief [sic] is unbelief in yourself.” (Carlyle, cp 606) We shoot ourselves in the foot by living in fear of ourselves and our capabilities. 
Instead, we must search for the “Everlasting” (Carlyle, cp 607) to overcome the dark in our lives. The “Everlasting” will provide us with truths, allowing man to live in peace and spiritual prosperity. There will always be a “black spot in our sunshine,” but once we can relate to a higher power these “black spots” will cease to bring man into despair (Carlyle, cp 608).
Mill’s conversion focused on the discovery of happiness. He learned that to become happy, one must not focus on the unhappiness in his life and strive for happiness, but excel in other areas of life. Like Buckley, he urges us to disregard the “black spot,” as this will only make the spot more obvious. Mill also explains that he began to focus on the “internal culture” of the individual, and ceased to bother himself with outside occurrences in order to create a happier environment (Mill, cp 694). His search for happiness finally ends with Wordsworth. Mill not only praises his pleasurable descriptions of nature (a Romantic theme), but the ways in which the poet describes nature that “expressed, not mere outward beauty, but states of feeling, and of thought colored by feeling, under the excitement of beauty.” (Mill, cp 695) These descriptions brought Mill to the realization that happiness lies in “tranquil contemplation” and an interest in the “common destiny of human beings.” (Mill, cp 695). Mill’s conclusions arising from his transformation point to the Victorian values of doubt and reactionism coupled with social improvement of mankind.
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