Henry David Thoreau and Thoreau Essay

Submitted By BradArthur1
Words: 372
Pages: 2

Walden is a novel that navigates the negatives and positives of society. Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden in the first person. He explains that he wrote the majority of the “following pages” when he lived isolated from the city life. For Thoreau, living outside of the human community is the complement to living immersed in nature. Thoreau believed that in order to truly experience the openness of nature, an individual must withdraw from human company and materialistic needs. Human society moves at a faster pace than the one Thoreau would prefer and also had too many materialistic wants. Even though Thoreau was alone, he did not feel lonely. For example, “Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me.” He enjoyed being alone in the cabin. Early on he noted “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating.” Thoreau was an admirer of nature. He believed that nature, humanity and God are all unified. God was present in every living thing on the planet according to Thoreau. This enabled him to love nature because he loved God. If it wasn’t for living in the woods, Thoreau possibly might not have learned of the true beauty of nature. “I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sound and sight around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like an atmosphere