Simplicity In Walden

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Pages: 4

Walden: Living a Life of Simplicity In Henry David Thoreau’s novel entitled “Walden,” Thoreau writes about items that he saw, activities he participated in, and thoughts he wondered about. Wanting to get away from society, Thoreau decided to live a life of simplicity. For two years, two months, and two days, Thoreau lived in a cabin at Walden pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in which he constructed. The one-room cabin shows just how simple Thoreau wanted to live for the time he was at Walden pond. Henry David Thoreau took advantage of living a life of simplicity by enjoying the items he saw, activities he participated in, and the thoughts he wondered about. To begin, Thoreau saw many item that intrigued him. Many of the items he saw persuaded …show more content…
The many different items that Thoreau witnesses lead him to do something that is greater. For instance, as stated before, once Thoreau saw the white pine trees, he immediately had the idea to cut them down in order to build his small cabin. There is one major piece of the novel that ties into what Thoreau did. For example, to add to his life of simplicity, Thoreau limited his meal intake to one meal a day. Thoreau states, “I usually carried my dinner of bread and butter, and read the newspaper in which it was wrapped, at noon” (p. 289 a). This shows that Thoreau tried to limit his amount of activities to the least. Along with living his life of simplicity, Thoreau enjoyed nature. He took walks, hiked, and participated in many other activities at Walden pond. Even though most people take nature for granted, Thoreau tried to take nature in and enjoy every part of it. Along with participating in different activities, Thoreau also wondered about many …show more content…
All of the items that Thoreau saw and the activities he participated in led up to what he was wondering or thinking about. Thoreau often wondered about nature and what he has given up the city life for. Thoreau loved the free and simple feeling of nature. For instance, Thoreau states, “Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself” (p. 291 a). This shows just how simple Thoreau lived during his stay. Thoreau used every aspect of nature that he possibly could. From hiking, to bathing in Walden pond, Thoreau looked at nature as a gift that was given to him. Nature is what made Thoreau want to build his cabin. All that was needed was an idea that Thoreau had to build a small cabin, then the idea grew into a reality. Thoreau’s thoughts are what led him to live a more simple life in the first