The Mystery Of Human Nature In The Works Of Henry David Thoreau

original goal of becoming closer to the self, Thoreau’s quantifying of the pond into understandable and knowable terms works to downplay the ultimate mystery of human nature. However, the bottom of the pond still remains a mystery as one cannot get close enough to explore it. Through all his efforts to measure the pond, observe it, or calculate its workings, Thoreau never manages to solve the mystery of the pond or figure out its “concealed bottom” (93). He writes, “In our bodies, a bold projecting brow falls off to and indicates a corresponding depth of thought. Also, there is a bar across the entrance of our every cove, or particular inclination” (Thoreau 93). Human nature will always stand in the way of true individual enlightenment, but if

As shown, by observing the elements of the pond, Thoreau hopes to gain a better understanding of human nature, but he is never able to fully make the connection. He evades an admission of frustration in favor optimism, noting, “The life in us is like the water in the river. It may rise this year higher than man has ever known it” (106). However, arguably Thoreau’s experiment of individual solitude results in greater epiphanies than Hawthorne’s Blithedale. In the conclusion to Walden, Thoreau concludes with a great note of optimism and hope in the human ability to transcend the limitations of society and the self in order to fulfill their potential for excellence. There remains a feeling of hope in man’s quest to find a deeper meaning in life. Unlike the admission of love that throws off The Blithedale Romance, Thoreau manages to inspire