SummaryWalden, a cabin near Concord, Massachusetts, was Thoreau's home between 1845-1847. He explains that his choice to live alone with little resources is purely experimental and temporary, but the main reason is that he wants to write his first book. The cabin is described as being built with all borrowed tools and scrounged materials. Although he is isolated, there is a railroad track in ear-shot of the cabin. He feels forced to think about the power of technology whenever the train passes. The biggest parts of this book are based on the seasonal changes Thoreau experiences when he is at Walden. When he describes spring he recalls seeing the earth thaw right before his eyes. Thoreau takes time to do things that most people don’t have the time or patience to do them like studying animals and plants. Occasionally he will take a break and go into town and get arrested because he refused to pay the poll tax. Throughout the book, he meets various types of people (poet, philosopher, hunter, settlers, farmers, and laborers) who he invites to his cabin. Each having their own spin on life. In September 1847 he departs his cabin on Walden Pond to return to “civilized society”.
|
Analysis |
Naturalism- There is a lot of mention of men and the Natural world. He is known to be one of the first environmentalists. He describes nature in two ways. The first is “wild” nature or nature that has been untouched by human hands. He does this by describing landscapes as natural and some unnatural. The second is altered nature. Farms and crops that he attempted to produce were his version of altered nature. He also looked at it from a historical perspective where he described how humans have altered nature over the years.
Life and Consciousness- Living is much more than just being alive. It’s about taking control of the faculties that life throw at us and harnessing them to our benefit. He describes fellow men and says they lose sight in the real meaning with materialistic views. Thoreau describes us by being blinded with “living death” that kills everything natural and good about being human. Wisdom- he describes it an inner sense that is different for everyone. You attain this wisdom through the experiment of living and by being just and true. Isolation- Being lonely and being alone are often confused with each other. He believes there is a lot of people in the world who feel lonely even if they are in a filled room. We lose contact with ourselves which ultimately makes us lose the ability to connect with other people. In this case, Thoreau is isolated to find himself in order to connect with the different types of people that come to his cabin. Once he does this, all conversations seem to end with laughter and a strong sense of self. Visions of America- Walden Pond is awfully close to Concord, Massachusetts where the “shot heard around the world” originated. He describes how life has changed from pre civil war to telegraphs and railroads. The area is rich with history. It goes back until Native American tribes leaving evidence to Thoreau’s personal experience of helping runaway-slaves in protest of the Mexican-American War. |
Walden and Romanticism |
Walden is very non-conformist. It's basically describing a society in which there is no conformity and everyone has to think for themselves. Thoreau describes quite clearly that everyone has their own self and needs to find it in order to life to the fullest and be self-reliant. In this particular example (Walden), he escapes for his own good, but not just escaping will get him where he's going. He has to use immense imagination locate his own spirituality by basically going back to a time of untouched nature. He said that no one should take the same path, but everyone should find their self meaning.
|
Study Questions
1.) What are three reasons why Thoreau decided to go on a "life experiment"?
A: To write his first book, to find his inner self, and to contemplate the meaning of "living"
2.) Why does Thoreau try to connect with different people with different backgrounds while at the cabin?
A: To ensure that he is able to connect with himself before trying to connect different people
3.) What are the two different types of nature that he describes?
A: Altered nature- land that has manipulated in order to serve man (i.e. farms). Historical standpoint is from that of what man has done to natural land over the years
4.) What characteristics does Thoreau have just by going on this journey?
A: Self-reliant, non-conformist, naturalist
5.) In what ways does Walden and Henry David Thoreau exemplify transcendentalism?
A: refer to #4.
A: To write his first book, to find his inner self, and to contemplate the meaning of "living"
2.) Why does Thoreau try to connect with different people with different backgrounds while at the cabin?
A: To ensure that he is able to connect with himself before trying to connect different people
3.) What are the two different types of nature that he describes?
A: Altered nature- land that has manipulated in order to serve man (i.e. farms). Historical standpoint is from that of what man has done to natural land over the years
4.) What characteristics does Thoreau have just by going on this journey?
A: Self-reliant, non-conformist, naturalist
5.) In what ways does Walden and Henry David Thoreau exemplify transcendentalism?
A: refer to #4.
Helpful Links
_
lhttp://www.shmoop.com/walden-thoreau/summary.html
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2361393-walden-or-life-in-the-woods
lhttp://www.shmoop.com/walden-thoreau/summary.html
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2361393-walden-or-life-in-the-woods