Henry David Thoreau Transcendentalism Analysis

Henry David Thoreau: An Analysis of Transcendentalism

The philosophical and religious movement of Transcendentalism was created during the early 1800’s. People who consider themselves Transcendentalists are dedicated to the ideas and ways that society’s government and controlled religion will destroy the self. They believe in the self and the pureness of the individual. They also had an understanding that all people held a piece of God inside of them; belief that God is one being and all people are combined into one God. Henry David Thoreau is considered one of the well-known Transcendentalists of his time. In Walden and Civil Disobedience there is proof that provides insight into Thoreau’s life and why he was chosen to be one.

In Chapter 1, Economy, Thoreau

Thoreau explains that it is up to each person to care about themselves and define their souls. He had thoughts of becoming a vegetarian based on pure instinct and no understanding of the health risks behind it. He based his idea on his own philosophies which were to live the simple life and have non-animalistic tendencies. He believed that by becoming a vegetarian that it was easier to obtain and he felt fuller from his findings. “We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man’s features, and meanness or sensuality to imbrute them” (Higher Laws 180).

The Conclusion of the novel is moving and helps you understand why he chose to live this lifestyle. “It is life near the bone where it is sweetest” (Conclusion 267). He was trying to get away from the everyday life and live the simple life. It is more soul enriching and you will learn a lot more about yourself, nature, and higher powers. He feels that he is a changed man and that he will live his life more open to new experiences and that he can promote this transcendentalism to others through his