Who Is Pond Scum, By Kathryn Schulz Criticize Thoreau?

Pond Scum, by Kathryn Schulz, is a critique on author Henry David Thoreau and his ideas on society and nature. Schulz uses anecdotes, strong word choice, and direct quotations to criticize Thoreau, and the ideas written in his novel Walden.
Schulz starts her essay with a powerful anecdote about the tragic story of a group Irish immigrants who drowned at sea while trying to reach the United States. She then quotes a Massachusetts native who dispassionately claimed that the wreck was “beautiful”. Schulz calls the man “cold-eyed” as he “saw loss of life as only aesthetic gain” (2). Finally, she reveals the identity of the man, who is Henry David Thoreau. This anecdote is effective because it delays the introduction of Thoreau. By waiting until later to announce the identity of the man, the reader has plenty of time to criticize or judge Thoreau's insensitive

Schulz is not at all subtle about her opinion on Thoreau, and often utilizes an ad hominem attack. She uses disparaging and harsh word choice to describe Thoreau, calling him “self-obsessed,” “a narcissistic” and “fanatic” (3). These words question Thoreau’s own character, and by extension, his arguments. If Thoreau was fanatical, the reader can easily be lead to believe that his ideas were fanatical as well. Schulz implies this when she claims that Thoreau’s beliefs are “not a paean to living simply; it is a paean to living purely, with all the moral judgement the word implies” (3). Schulz is claiming that Thoreau arguments are not just benign beliefs about humanity, but a harsh judgement on those who don’t agree with him. The word choice of “pure” instead of “simply” is key. It implies that Thoreau judged and distinguished between those who followed his opinions and those who didn’t, and that only those who followed his strict regimen are considered “pure”