Chris McCandless looked up to Henry David Thoreau’s ideas in his Walden excerpt. John Krakauer went on to make McCandless’ journey a novel of its own. However, Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau’s ideas on how one should live their life didn’t always compare as much as contrast. Thoreau does not like the outdoors as much as Chris does, “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one” (Walden).
In the chapter titled Where I Lived, and What I Lived For from Henry David Thoreau’s novel Walden, the author utilizes rhetorical strategies such as imagery and tone to convey how the distractions that accompany a progressing civilization corrupts society. Since he is a transcendentalist, his argument encapsulates the same principles of becoming free from the binds of society and seeking harmony with nature. He emphasizes those ideals when he states that “[he] went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if [he] could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when [he] came to die, discover that [he] had not lived”(276). In other words, he wanted to escape from society and live
1. In “Walden Pond” by Henry David Thoreau, living in solitary for two years is actually not bad. By living in solitary, there is no one around to be obnoxious so there are not any worries regarding people. A disadvantage though is there is a great possibility of going mad by being alone. 2(a).
Literary Period Compare Contrast Henry David Thoreau, a known transcendentalist from the American Romanticism literary period, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the writer of a very popular novel with strong opinions both portray religious experiences and consequences with their text in a time when society was most vulnerable to such ideas. Henry David Thoreau’s, “Walden” portrays his journey with transcendentalism in a positive way. On the other hand, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrayed religious idealisms in his novel, “The Scarlet Letter” in a negative way.
While there, he grasped the attention of so many that were curious of his strange behavior, with this attention he decided to write a lecture to inform these people that life is simple if you value nature, reality, and simplicity. This work would be his most famous, receiving the name “Walden,” being a highly influential piece of work, resulting in the the Walden Woods project to raise the required money to buy and save land from development of any building.
Two partakers, Henry David Thoreau and Chris McCandless sought out peace and calm, but in doing so exposed themselves to cruel elements and lonely isolation. Like McCandless, Thoreau longed to “live deliberately” and yearned for something more from life (Thoreau, line 24). Both Thoreau and McCandless were in search of serenity; desperate for enlightenment and an escape from modern society. After years in the wilderness, Thoreau decided to return to society, a decision similar to one made by McCandless. Embracing the wilderness and seclusion seemed to answer McCandless’s philosophical questions and he decided to conclude his odyssey.
Thoreau had the ability to isolate himself whenever he wished. He urges us to do the same. Thoreau’s philosophy may seem great, but it poses many threats in jeopardizing communities. For example, it could negatively impact economies.
Within in this chapter Thoreau’s study of the pond becomes a metaphor for studying all things in nature, including man because he compares each of the acts occurring at the pond to something that happens during the duration of a person life. For example, he compares his studying of the pond to his ability to find himself within nature. In addition, the deepness of the pond represents the many layers to Thoreau that had not been uncovered. This could also be the same for other men because similarly to Walden Pond there are different aspects of people that take longer to find. In addition, Walden Pond could be a metaphor for studying all things in nature because from the start of Thoreau’s experiment he wanted to become connected with nature
Henry David Thoreau especially supported the interaction between man and nature. With his experiment at Walden, he addresses a modern concept known as minimalism, focusing on the way one must supply for himself with his basic necessities. His intentions were not to isolate himself, but moreso to separate himself from a life dependent upon others. Through his actions, he is able to criticise society and many of their needs.
Consequently, what Thoreau proposed was simplicity rejecting modern civilization to return to nature and let the individual to develop his/her highest possibilities. Thoreau not only made a critique of the modern society as Emerson did, but also he practiced his ideology: he experienced that life is better without crowd, luxuries and complexity. The transcendentalist poet spent two year close to nature. He lived at Walden Pond where he wrote entire journals recounting his experience. Thoreau is well known for his book “Walden” (1854).
Comparing Thoreau and I Having the access to the technology we have in this day and age is powerful, although I understand that some people don’t have access to the technology, I find it rather odd that some people just don’t want to use it. After reading Henry David Thoreau’s short story “where I lived and what I lived for” I began developing a deeper understanding as to why these people to use prefer a technology free life. Thoreau’s short story “Where I lived and what I lived for” is about him recalling all the places he almost settled in before settling in a little area in the woods called Walden Pond.
Our reading assignments are from different parts of the book Walden. There are connections between chapters, especially the first chapter which connect to the whole style of the book. If I have actually time, I will read through some chapters that are not in the assignments in order to get to know Thoreau more and what he wants to convey to the readers. Here are some part of the chapters I read: “I think that I love society as much as most, and am ready enough to fasten myself like a bloodsucker for the time to any full-blooded man that comes in my way. I am naturally no hermit, but might possibly sit out the sturdiest frequenter of the bar-room, if my business called me thither.”
Why I Went to the Woods by Henry David Thoreau is a piece of literature taken from the book Walden that discusses Thoreau’s desire to experience life and it's meaning by living by the most simple terms possible. Thoreau lived off the land, built his own home, hunted and fished his own food. Through these things, Thoreau experienced how life is lived without luxury and only with the raw basics. Although his passion for the natural world shows through his writing his goal is not to persuade others to follow in his footsteps by going out and living in nature. Thoreau wanted others to follow him by living their best life which would be achieved by following their passions and the things they enjoy.
When Thoreau says "... 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 shows risks and rewards of isolating himself. Thoreau’s risk is he will become isolated from everyone, and only have the essentials of life. He is starting over and trying to survive with only food and water. This is a risk because he came from a wealthy family and now is going to have nothing. He will only have himself, food, and water.
In Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, the author expresses the immense longing that we, as human beings, need to give up our connection to our ever-growing materialism in order to revert back to self-sufficient happiness. In Walden, the reader is able to infer that Thoreau feels as if we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions, as well as believes that the study of nature should replace and oppose our enslavement, and that we are to “open new channels of thought” by turning our eyes inward and studying ourselves. Thoreau feels that we are becoming enslaved by our material possessions. As stated in the chapter “In the Where I Lived, and What I Lived For”, Thoreau states that “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.” (972).
