"I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion, Has broken Nature’s social union, An’ justifies that ill opinion, Which makes thee startle, At me, thy poor, earth-born companion, An’ fellow-mortal!" In the excerpt from To A Mouse, what is meant by the “social union”?

Question

"I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion, Has broken Nature’s social union, An’ justifies that ill opinion, Which makes thee startle, At me, thy poor, earth-born companion, An’ fellow-mortal!" In the excerpt from To A Mouse, what is meant by the “social union”?

Mice are social animals
Nature's balance between mankind and the wilderness
The man and the mouse are equal
The man and the mouse are disenchanted by nature.

Answer 1

The "social union" referred to in the excerpt is the natural connection and interdependence between mankind and nature, specifically in this case, between man and the mouse. It highlights the idea that both beings are part of the same interconnected web of life on Earth. The speaker laments the fact that man's dominion over nature has disrupted this social union, causing harm to the mouse and leading to a sense of unease and fear between the two.