Life In The Woods Transcendentalism

“Walden” Life in the Woods a narrative written by Henry David Thoreau a transcendentalist. Thoreau’s purpose for writing this narrative was to answer people’s questions about his reasons for wanting to live alone in the woods. Thoreau built himself a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond, where he lived for two years. “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” (Thoreau 1028). Thoreau wanted to live a life of simplicity by isolating himself from the civilized city. He stressed the importance of individualism, simplicity, and self-reliance. Thoreau lived in his cabin from spring

I think that Thoreau believed that being born with inheritance was similar to being born into slavery. People slave in their jobs to maintain their lifestyles. Thoreau continues with saying, “most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them” (Thoreau 983). We live in a free country, but are we really free when man wakes up every day with the same routine work, eat, sleep, and repeat it all over again the next day. The life of a working man is like a robot a “machine.” As a free man are we taking advantaging of our freedom? Does man ever take a step back to indulge the beauty of nature and what’s around him? It’s true when Thoreau compares a free man to a slave, “but worst of all when you are a slave-driver of yourself” (Thoreau 983). These are the thoughts that goes on in Thoreau’s

Men work majority of their lives saving so when they retire then they can enjoy life, but will they be in good health to do that. They can only hope so.

Thoreau explains why he left the woods, “I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives, and could not spare any more time for that one” (Thoreau 1149). He continues on with saying what he learned from his experience out in the woods, “I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours” (Thoreau 1149).

While living in the Woods Thoreau discovered himself and learned how to live with simplicity. He wrote “Walden” Life in the Woods, to answer questions people had about why he decided to go and live in the woods. I’m sure he inspired many readers with his views on the beauty of nature and what it has to