Walden Essay

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Table of Contents Analysis..................................................................................................................................4 Interpretation .........................................................................................................................5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................6

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Outline I. Introduction A. Research on Henry David Thoreau B. Background information about the Walden Pond II. Reading III. Analysis IV. Interpretation V. Conclusion

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Sarah Lee Mr. Dixon Walden Essay 10 August 2011

Walden In Henry David Thoreaus Walden, Thoreau chooses to live what seems like a very tedious life to us, city dwellers. While there are some elements that allow Thoreau to suck out all the marrow of life during his time spent in the woods, there exist some essentials of life that Thoreau is missing as he is blinded by his love of nature and his transcendentalist view of the world. Analysis One positive aspect of the philosophy of Thoreau is having an objective view of the world. Without social expectations or pressures that often hinder peoples knowledge of the true meaning of life, the natural and isolated surroundings enable the author to experience the core of life. Society shapes the outlook of life as it is full of people who are striving to achieve their goals, which almost always include wealth. Thus, sometimes, people are misguided to believe that life equals wealth. However, a scholar named Ehrlich said that, near the Walden Pond where the poem of creation is uninterrupted, Thoreau can live with a beginners mind. He can leave the presumptions and prejudice formed by the society to listen to how the natural laws tell him to live. By making harmony with nature, he no longer has to feel artificiality of life that exists in developed cities. By conforming to nature rather than to the society, Thoreau can experience the oneness with the environment he is living in and find the objective, unbiased viewpoint of the world to take.

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Thoreau also believes in independence. He goes into the woods, coincidentally on Independence Day, to live according to the new, universal, and more liberal laws that he establishes on his own. Then, he reminds us that we are the ones who are in control of our lives, not the outside influences. He warns us not to subject (ourselves) to many influences to be played on; it is all dissipation to tell us that if we strive for what the others are seeking for, then others will affect our lives so much that their influences will start to take control of our lives without our noticing. For example, he says that people living in his era are so dependent on the new railroads that it is almost as if we do not ride on the railroad; (but) it rides upon us. Also, he shuns the ruts of tradition and conformity that often tend to shape an individuals identity, preventing him from finding his own self. Instead, he admires liberty and the ability to stand alone because if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Interpretation Thoreaus choice of how to live a life also gives satisfaction more easily and simplifies our complicated lives. Human nature always involves want for more. Greed is something that we cannot rid as long as we are trapped in the society that stimulates our hunger for more continuously. One may gain a more optimistic view of life as solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty, nor weakness weakness. In his view, poverty is not an obstacle that prevents one from enjoying life. Thoreau mentions that the more one strives for something, the more he will feel miserable as he discovers the boundary of what he can get. He repeats, simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! and tells us that simple life is going to give us satisfaction that luxury and heedless expense and the million households in the land cannot give. Later on, he adds that faultfinder will find faults even in paradise. From this quote, he advises the reader to face hardships with willingness to overcome them and to make the most of life, no matter how challenging it is.

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However, a negative side to Thoreaus philosophy is that Thoreaus view is missing the main core of life, interaction. Interaction with one another is a very big, necessary part of everyones life. Although Thoreau was not in complete isolation during the years spent in the woods, he believed that separation from the world would give him better understanding of the world. However, I think living in solitude with his interpretation of the existing laws in a more liberal sense is rather, a very selfish way to look at the world. Human beings are made to intermingle with each other and such way of living needs some conformity and, of course, expectations begin to form in society and those standards should be met to a certain degree. It is through those interactions that we begin to reveal the unalloyed image of human nature. Thus, turning away from the actual world human beings are living in to observe what life really looks like is not the absolute way to understand life. Human endeavour is another crucial aspect in life. He questions, why should we be in such desperate hast to succeed, and in such desperate enterprises? While Thoreaus notion of progress focuses on ones pursuit of virtue to become independent, content, and unique individual, I believe that those abstract ideas alone cannot allow him to get the whole and genuine meanness of life. In my opinion, one of the most important essentials in life includes a sense of achievement and being proud of what one has put in hard work for; and often times, we tend to experience such feelings through improvements revealed outwardly to the society. Thus, whether one has put in efforts in improving technology or gaining wealth, it is the moment his work is displayed and used by others in a meaningful way when he can feel a sense of achievement to the fullest. Conclusion In Henry David Thoreaus Walden, we can carefully examine the popular transcendentalist philosophy in 1800s. He does not merely dream a world where he can be free from the societal pressures, rapid technological advancement, and industrialization, but experiences

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such life by going out into the woods and becoming a transparent eyeball, as Emerson did. Through this experience, Thoreau expands his understanding of life and enjoys the simple life, but I dont think he could find all the essentials of life as he was missing human interaction and endeavour, the two indispensable aspects of our lives.

Reference Thoreau, Henry David. "Walden Ch I: ECONOMY." American Studies @ The University of Virginia. University of Virginia. Web. 09 Aug. 2011. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/walden/hdt01.html>.