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Isolation In Walden By Henry David Thoreau

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In 1845, transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau began a social experiment on the shore of Walden Pond. Thoreau carefully picked Walden Pond as the location for this experiment because of its natural beauty and its relative separation from the rest of civilization. Thoreau’s closest neighbor lived a mile away, in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, ultimately providing the degree of isolation he yearned for. Thoreau spent precisely two years, two months and two days alongside Walden Pond. During this time, Thoreau lived in isolation except for an occasional visitor that often came to exploit the pond for its abundance of fish while ignoring its intrinsic beauty. The goal of Thoreau’s experiment was to connect with nature in pursuit of a simple, yet meaningful life. Thoreau believed he had achieved his goal and dedicated an entire decade of his life afterward to writing a memoir entitled Walden, in which he reflected on his time spent by Walden Pond. This memoir indeed is unique. Throughout his memoir, Henry David Thoreau guides the reader’s experience through four distinct parts. Walden is part narrative composed from personal experience, part social commentary on the customs and lives of his neighbors in Concord, part nature study grounded in scientific observation, and part philosophical advocacy for a particular kind of life. In today's society, the sections of Walden where Thoreau reflects on his personal experiences, the social commentary of his neighbors, and

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