Spiritually Rich Life in Thoreau´s Novel Walden

is able to improve his state of content, self-reliance and independence by a vast degree. It can be said that in a piece of literature such as “Walden”otherwise known as “Life in the Woods”, that there are numerous universal truths about removing oneself from the vortex of everyday monotonous societal living, and instead rather becoming part of something that is embedded in the natural state of living. Humans are beings brought about of nature, in that, at the very basic core of human essence and character, Thoreau’s argument concerning the state of affairs in which humans participate in, is heavily societally constructed. The truth of the matter is humans are primates, with natural organic origins, operating with simply a higher state of thinking than other primates. It is because of this, that humans are able to form complex communities, centers of trade and finance, houses of religion, amongst many other socially constructed institutions.

In this passage from Walden by Thoreau, the author articulates beautifully how he lives his life, why, and how he has adapted to his new home. Thoreau wishes to live a more free life where he can write and live void of responsibility, he wants to get the most from the remainder of his life by determining what is truly important, and he did this by removing himself as best he could from the normal life of Concord, Massachusetts in the 1840's to a decrepit cabin in the woods. Part of this was economic: he reduced his material needs by living in a simpler way, so that he would not have to spend much time supporting a lifestyle that he did not need

As Jeffrey S. Kramer relays in his article In Praise of Pond Scum, Walden is “not a book about a man living in the woods, but simply about a man living.”

He finds beauty in the lack of luxuries he has with him, and makes the claim that having too many things is directly proportional to the happiness one can achieve. Of course, he breaks this down financially as well. He includes a list of expenses he went through to achieve financial stability and freedom for his sabbatical in Walden Pond. Intelligently spending money, a total of under $30 dollars, Thoreau is able to construct a suitable living space and even sets himself up for a little bit of profit to adequately live off of. Part of this profit came from the farm he had just outside of his cottage. He makes it a point later in the book to talk about his bean farm, and how he gets up early every day to tend to it. He’s rewarded for his efforts with bountiful harvests. It’s so bountiful, in fact, that he’s wary of selling too much of it, lest he fall to the trap of industry and relish in the money he’s making. This bean farm serves as much of his food as well. Part of Thoreau’s view on simple eating also looks at the eating of meat. Trying to shy away from indulgence, he tries his best to limit what he eats solely to what he can find out in nature. Despite finding that he’s a decent fisherman, he slowly begins to shy away from that as well. Advocating that he can do without the American staples of meat, tea, and coffee, he goes so far as to claim that spending money on these things is wasteful and

Thoreau believed it was best to live a simple life claiming,’’I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life’’ (par. 1). He wanted to get the most out of life and make sure he was truly living. Although he lived in the woods he went to Harvard University’s library to check out books. Many people wonder how could you

Busy highways, briefcases, and paychecks. These are few of many sights seen by individuals living the ‘American dream’. It has been established in one’s development to go to school, get good grades, then slip right into college where a degree is earned and a career is cast. In a matter of a few years, one’s life is dictated and the routine of the working man, or woman, is set. Happiness is illustrated through new cars, nice clothes, and the newest phone available on the market—but what is not seen is serenity within one’s self. Thoreau describes the ability to find the true sense and meaning of happiness without all of the materialistic barriers that seem to serve as its guidelines. In Thoreau’s Walden, people are proclaimed for not living life to its full ability by impassively going through everyday routines, mistakable importance of necessities, and the idea of individual purpose.

It was my high school teacher, Anna Shaughnessy, who introduced me to Henry David Thoreau. His Walden was not part of the course of study. She asked whether I knew of this Massachusetts writer. I didn't. Without scaring me off by proclaiming how great he was, she said he had lived and died in obscurity. But not like some romantic poet in a dusty garret. He had done all kinds of work for a living-been a schoolteacher, surveyor, pencil-maker, gardener, carpenter, mason, lecturer, naturalist, as well as keeper of a personal journal into which he wrote two million words.

“Walden” is a mixture of arbitration upon nature, autobiography, and philosophy. In around 1845 Thoreau began his experience in “fundamental” living and studying the world and seeking certainty within himself. “Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than ten fingers or in extreme case he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand; instead or a million count a half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumbnail” (Thoreau 383). Thoreau’s antidote for chaotic, detail-crowded life is to keep problems and stress to a minimum. He states that simplicity is what life is about and having a simple life is a better life. Also when he says, “our life is frittered away by detail” it’s stating that society always looks at the details and material things and that's its okay to get away from that and have a simple life. “I left the woods for as good of reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves” (Thoreau 388). Thoreau’s reason for leaving the pond is that after a while he made a routine for

First, in Walden Thoreau passionately expresses his beliefs about life as a whole. He clearly states that life is too complicated and that one needs to focus on more important matters. Instead of consistently conceding to everyone else’s will, one should live how he likes. One should not attempt to over complicate his life. An individual needs to figure out what is important to him and strive for it. Thoreau went into the woods to find out what he truly desired, as well as, to bolt from public opinion.

In Walden, Henry David Thoreau explains how a relationship with nature reveals aspects of the true self that remain hidden by the distractions of society and technology. To Thoreau, the burdens of nineteenth century existence, the cycles of exhausting work to obtain property, force society to exist as if it were "slumbering." Therefore, Thoreau urges his readers to seek a spiritual awakening. Through his rhetoric,Thoreau alludes to a "rebirth" of the self and a reconnection to the natural world. The text becomes a landscape and the images become objects, appealing to our pathos, or emotions, our ethos, or character, and our logos, or logical reasoning, because we experience his awakening. Thoreau grounds his spirituality in the physical

One of Thoreau’s most famous works is the book, Walden. He wrote the book during his stay at Walden Pond and wrotes about his time spent there. The book shares Thoreau’s transcendentalist ideas dealing with individualism and nature. In the first chapter, titled “Economy” Thoreau expresses his opinion on how an individual must avoid the opinions and thoughts of others. He says, “Public Opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion.

Therefore, Thoreau was ahead of his time as historians place the golden age of free thought from 1875 to 1914. This idea of personal freedom was not popular at the time “Walden” was only a marginal success. Afterward, in the Civil Rights moment the “Walden” became very popular with young Americans. The “Walden” inspired theses’ Americans to obtain real freedom with many examples. “I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of.” At the time most, parents expected their sons to take over the farm after the father became feeble. Therefore, most men were forced to work the farm instead of pursuing what they wanted. Instead a man becomes a machine that has no freedom. Therefore, have a feeling that his only function was to replace the old machine before him. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” Technologies today give us the illusion of heightened freedom. In the United States, we can obtain every material item we desire. Even though we still have the highest rate of anxiety disorders and depression in the world. Thoreau explains “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” To have true freedom and happiness you must face your demons. As material earnings can’t cover up your inner truth. Many Americans can’t handle the truth and this why we live a life of desperation. Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was in a movement called Transcendentalism during the 1800’s. They strongly believed in individualism and self-reliance. In Walden he constantly talks about the benefits of having a simpler life. To have a simpler life you would have to get rid of “luxury” goods, which is anything that is

In ”Walden” (1854), Henry Thoreau suggests that he “did not work hard, I did not have to eat hard, and it cost me but a trifle for my food”. Thoreau lived in the woods with few because he would like to effectuate his belief due to his observation of John since “he had to work hard” and “purposely talked to him” to aid him. Since Thoreau “tried to help him with my experience” to John, he must’ve felt horrible since John had people depending on him and there was struggle. As a conclusion, Thoreau has spread his belief through his book “Walden” because he believes that his lifestyle is a better and simpler way of life and he would like people to effectuate it. The target for his belief are people who are having a hard time considering money or

Simple is the way of life that transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau advocated as the most fulfilling of all. Although sometimes irrational, Thoreau wanted a life that was more closely connected with nature in comparison with the majority of a rapidly industrializing America. He favored a more agrarian approach rather than a mechanized form of work and production, for that he believed was alienating man from his roots. Walden, one of Thoreau’s most famous commentaries on such a lifestyle, puts his ideology in perspective as he trod the forests of Concord, Massachusetts near Walden Pond. Living in and around a small cabin, Thoreau realizes that when one is with nature and nature alone, he sees life as immeasurable and unlimited in its