Walden Pond is a novel written by Henry David Thoreau that chronicles his two years and two months living on the shore of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Henry David Thoreau, through his writings, emphasizes the need for simple living and personal independence in one’s life. Published in 1854, this book sheds a light on the unique experience of Thoreau’s quest in nature, as well as his contributions to the transcendentalist movement. Henry David Thoreau uses this writing to explore the themes of a simplistic living style and the value of self-reliance. Overall Thoreau was successful in delivering his message, but his overly descriptive nature may be off-putting to some readers. The first and longest chapter in Walden is Economy. Economy …show more content…
Thoreau brings up the idea of loneliness in a very interesting way. He refers to loneliness more as a state of mind than a physical phenomenon, stating that one can be surrounded by people and still feel very lonely inside or be by yourself and not feel lonely at all. This is something I feel that a lot of people are able to relate to. He also talks about how he prefers solitude saying, “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude” and discusses how people spend so much time in the company of others that they are not experiencing life between conversations. Thoreau used his time alone for introspection and to become more acquainted with nature. Although he was not that far from society, I would imagine that spending most of your time alone in nature would feel truly isolating so, I admire the way that Thoreau turns solitude into something useful and …show more content…
He justifies his refusal with saying, “I did not pay a tax to, or recognize the authority of, the State which buys and sells men, women, and children, like cattle, at the door of its senate-house.” He spent only a night in prison before being released and continuing with his daily errands. A few chapters past The Village is one title Baker Farms. This chapter recounts Thoreau’s run-in with a poor Irish immigrant named John Fields. He tells Fields and his family of his experience and the benefits of living a simpler life unburdened by the responsibilities and costs of owning a farm. Although Fields does not heed his advice, this chapter shows just how much Thoreau believes his lifestyle will benefit the average
In this passage from the famous text Walden, the author Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist and transcendentalist, gives an account of his experience while living in isolation at Walden pond for two years of his life. While in isolation, he sought to enjoy life away from the hustle and bustle of society and live more simplistically without concern of the small things in life.
Thoreau, Henry David. "Walden." The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. 2107-2141.
Both books explore remarkable journeys of self discovery. Thoreau accounts two years of leaving society and moving to a small cabin on Walden’s Pond with very little material possessions and a plan to subsidise his diet with supplies from a nearby town.
"How important is a constant intercourse with nature and the contemplation of natural phenomenon to the preservation of moral & intellectual health. The discipline of the schools or of business—can never impart such serenity to the mind. " ~ Henry David Thoreau, May, 1851
Henry David Thoreau is among many other early American transcendentalist thinkers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau wrote many pieces and accomplished much in his lifetime; including the time he spent in the wilderness near the Walden Pond observing only the essential facts of life to further understand life as a whole. Many would quote him for his tremendous contributions to early American thought and his outstanding thoughts, “Even to call him a Transcendentalist is to underplay the carefully observed and circumstantial style of much of his writing and the sense of physical participation on which the style is based,” (Dougherty). One of the many things that Thoreau did and journalized in his famous writing Walden was his adventure from
Thoreau begins by moving to Walden Pond, near Concord Massachusetts on July 4, 1845 and returns to “civilized society” in 1847. Thoreau thought that by living simply with...
Henry David Thoreau pens his book Walden during a revolutionary period of time known as American Romanticism. The literary movement of American Romanticism began roughly between the years of 1830 and 1860. It is believed to be a chapter of time in which those who had been dissatisfied by the Age of Reason were revolting through works of literature. All elements of Romanticism are in sharp, abrupt contrast to those types of ideas such as empirical observation and rationality. An online article describes American Romanticism in the following manner, “They celebrated imagination/intuition versus reason/calculation, spontaneity versus control, subjectivity and metaphysical musing versus objective fact, revolutionary energy versus tradition, individualism versus social conformity, democracy versus monarchy, and so on” (Strickland). In 1845 during that period of time, Thoreau decides to spend two years of his life in an experiment with Mother Nature in a cabin at Walden Pond. He tells exquisite tales of life in natural surroundings in his book, Walden, through a most primitive organic style. Walden is a key work of American Romanticism because of its embedded ideas of solitude, individualism, pantheism and intuition.
Fender, Stephen. Introduction. Walden. By Henry David Thoreau. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. Print.
Like stated prior, although Thoreau, for the most part, is completely isolated in nature, he never feels truly lonely:
To trace the origin of the Transcendental movement one needs to go back to the city of Concord, Massachusetts. There during the early 19th century many well-known and world-renowned authors were following the practices of one man, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson, who was considered America's first philosopher, had earlier traveled to Europe and became fascinated by the concepts of one German philosopher known as Kant. According to Emerson's understanding of Kant, there were two pure objects in the world in which are the bases of everything, nature and soul. He took this philosophy and brought it back to America where it later, with the help of Henry David Thoreau, revolutionized American literature.
Henry David Thoreau wanted to express his thoughts to the world. He did so by writing Walden a book that gives insights on the world from Thoreau’s point of view. “Walden” gives valuable advice in all types of fields. It shows aspects of Thoreau’s personality and how he views the world. To the best of my knowledge, Henry has many characteristics that he expressed in this book. Most of what he wrote was impressive. Honestly, I was extremely enthusiastic about reading this. Initially, I thought it would be a book like Great Expectations. But my expectations were wrong. I did not think I would actually learn things. Surprisingly, it sparked motivation in me. I wanted to be more in touch with nature. It seemed like Henry David Thoreau had everything figured out. He was calm and thoughtful and he seemed to look at life in a different way. Being in solitude in nature must really get you in touch with your inner self. It allows you to look at your flaws and look at your talents. I was greatly intrigued by every page of Walden.
The opening paragraph is an incredibly vivid account of nights spent by “the stony shore” of Walden Pond. His description of the animals around the pond, the cool temperature, and the gentle sounds of lapping waves and rustling leaves all serve to remove the idea that nature is a wild and unkempt world of its own, and instead makes it seem much more serene and graceful. Any who thought of Thoreau as an insane outdoorsmen may have even found themselves repulsed by the monotony and constant bustle of city life and longing for the serenity felt by Thoreau. This
Why do so few Americans not see all of the problems in society? Do they simply not care or are they not able to see them? With Thoreau's statement, "To be awake is to be alive", he implies that Americans have their eyes closed to these issues. They do not choose to overlook these issues but they simply pass them by because their eyes are shut. Some people are not able to grasp the concept in Thoreau's statement and find it to be foreign or subversive because it threatens the way the see the world.
When thinking about the transcendental period and/or about individuals reaching out and submerging themselves in nature, Henry David Thoreau and his book, Walden, are the first things that come to mind. Unknown to many, there are plenty of people who have braved the environment and called it their home during the past twenty years, for example: Chris McCandless and Richard Proenneke. Before diving into who the “modern Thoreaus” are, one must venture back and explore the footprint created by Henry Thoreau.
Walden is written by Henry David Thoreau, an American author, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist. The Walden is written in 1st person on how the author, Henry David Thoreau, was determined to find out everything he can about human nature. In order to do so, Thoreau moves to the woods because he believes that Society’s Normal concerns like, Money and material goods would block his understanding. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that emphasizes the Importance of the spiritual over the physical. Thoreau’s idea of transcendentalism stressed the importance of nature. Henry David Thoreau uses literary devices such as imagery and metaphors to assist him in getting across his concept of transcendentalism.