Thoreau’s Adaptation to Change: “House-Warming” and Transition in Walden

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In the over 150 years since its publication, much critical attention has been paid to Henry David Thoreau’s most popular work, Walden. Having been so heavily critiqued, much recent critical work on Thoreau “gives greater attention to Thoreau’s unpublished work after Walden” (Meehan 300). Despite the superabundance of writing on this book, certain parts of it have been left relatively ignored. The chapter “House-Warming,” situated at the dawn of winter, has been treated thus. It might be that the reason for this lack of focus on this chapter is its transitory nature, as its primary purpose seems is to serve as a link between the autumn and the winter. As any writer will profess, such a transition in the narrative is indispensable. This transition is not only one that relates to the narrative, but also to Thoreau’s philosophy regarding the essentials of life. As Walden is often called an experiment by both critics and its author, “House-Warming” is especially worthy of attention as it shows us Thoreau not only performing experiments, but it also represents a turning point in the experiment that is Walden. “House-Warming” then exists both to showcase a philosophical adaptation on Thoreau’s part and a narrative transition, and also to preclude the magnification of his interest in scientific observation and experimentation over the course of the closing chapters.
Before diving into “House-Warming,” a very brief note should be taken on the use of language regarding Walden and this particular chapter. Other critics have noted of Walden that though “the bulk of its pages were written during his sojourn by the pond (1845-7), it was not ready for publication until seven years later, and ultimately included a distillation from his journals ...

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...ine between comfort and necessity blurred. The winter has another effect on Thoreau than forcing him indoors. Thoreau is famous for his propensity toward field observation and impromptu experimentation, and “House-Warming” gives Thoreau the opportunity to dive into this behavior (Ray 101). As Walden Pond freezes over and invites intricate observation, the spirit of the amateur scientist is awakened in Thoreau and he continues this behavior later in the book. Walden is unusual, highly complicated and tightly woven, and any attempt at “understanding the whole of this book is a hopeless task” (Heitman 15). “House-Warming,” as is now clear, is a crucial strand helping to weave all of Walden together. Perhaps in attempting to appreciate the place of this single strand, readers can stand back to a more complete understanding of the complex, tangled tapestry that is Walden.

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