Henry David Thoreau Research Paper

Ashley Vonder Meulen

IFS 2026

Professor Davis

Henry David Thoreau: Nature

Human and nature are both interconnected.

There are deeper meanings to nature.

Nature writing - writing about something, anything begins with observation. It begins with the eyes and witnessing, interpreting and recording what one personally depicts to be occurring. - Nature writing is

Transcendentalist - stress significance of spiritual over material values in order to fulfill and discover the true value of life.

Emerson - had a grand influence over Thoreau.

Emerson owned some land surrounded by Walden pond.

Thoreau’s life in the city was too busy and found his work unfulfilling. and uninspiring.

Here in his cabin he would live a minimalistic life.

There he drafted his most notable work Walden, the name of the pond by Thoreau’s cabin. This book was based on living simply and learning from nature. It uncovered the ideals of self-discovery. “"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - he wanted to discover what was truly important, not just in his life, but in all. Through nature he was able to really see through an alternate perspective eye.

-In The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, it Thoreau (like other Transcendentalists) assumed that nature had particular lessons to teach and that simple, “natural” ways of living would help to cultivate his moral sense. He suggested we think about how little we can get by with, and not focus on the quantity we can get.

Self

Nature would provide the meaning that money, technology, and peoples opinions cannot. Nature is the aid to self-discovery. To have the mental state on understanding of one’s self through nature and all it provides creates a greater progress in not only the individual, but society as well. In an article about Thoreau, it states “His works endure, and remind us of just how important it is to remove the distractions of money, technology, and other people’s views in order to live according to our inner nature.”

He challenges us to not have such a materialistic mindset, rather engage in the world avoiding said distractions. This is how we can live up to our best and most genuine nature

Modern life Success - involves vast sorts of technology, being connected with other, and working a great amount to make a great sum of money while doing what we are told. He suggested none of this was an aid to the soul.

Every day was a new and riveting