Walden Thesis

In the essay Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau takes two years to experiment with living in the woods on his own. He constructed his own cabin and was able to generate an income by cultivating a small plot of land and selling what it produced. Living on his own and being an outsider to those who lived a normal town life helped him figure out who he was mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. In addition, his experiment changed his view of society. As the experiment went on, he began to see how the American dream of owning a home may actually be a terrible idea. Finding the right piece of property on which he could start his experiment was not an easy task. He was looking for a place that was far enough away from society for him to be

The farmer’s wife ended up wanting to keep the farm, but Thoreau had expressed to her that he was very fond of the farm. The farmer reminded him of seeing a poet “having enjoyed the most valuable part of the farm, while the crusty farmer supposed that had got a few wild apples” (59). The author illustrates that a poet would be happier with a farm because a poet doesn’t have to do all of the work that goes along with tending the farm. For the farmer, that hard work is required for survival. The poet cares for the farm in different, more philosophical way. While the farmer my find happiness in the satisfaction he gets from hard work and seeing the fruit of his labor, the poet may find a different type of happiness on the farm. The poet is more likely to appreciate the natural beauty of the farm. However, it will not provide anything tangible for the poet unless he puts in the work tending to it. The farmer will put in the necessary work to increase his profit, and meet his material wants and needs. Thoreau connects the farmer with a prisoner locked in a jail. He believes there is “little difference” between being “committed to a farm or the county jail” (60). In the end, you are a slave to something either way. His ideas indicate