Life in the Woods

Introduction

“Walden” or “Life in the Woods” was published on August 9th, 1854 as it goes in depth from a first-person perspective of Henry David Thoreau living in a cabin in the woods and being able to express his emotions on how feels about it. Within the story, he describes his experiment of living in a distant area away from society and distraction, especially his connection with nature.

About the Author

Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817, and was born in Concord, Massachusetts. He was known to be and take part in being influential at his time as he was known as a social reformer, philosopher, and scientist, but most specifically a naturalist and a poet. As a poet who was a naturalist, the story “Walden” or “Life in the Woods” gives perspective on his viewpoint of the woods and for himself a better understanding. As for the others such as being a social reformer, Thoreau’s work influenced other countries such as Russia and India to be influenced by his work “Civil Disobedience”. Being a scientist, Thoreau embraced and liked the idea of Darwin and created numerous theories of forest success. Those were in-depth examples of how Thoreau was known to be one of many powerful influencers in America who had left his books to be published all over.

About the Book

The story starts off by revealing 27-year-old Havard graduate, Herny David Thoreau who moved to Walden Pond for his “experiment”. As the first chapter was called “Economy” out of the eighteen chapters that were written. He stated, “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 if had to teach and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” He wanted to explore what it is like and have a better understanding of nature and being away from humans. When he moved, he had built a simple 10-by-15-foot cabin that was along the shoreline of the pond and built it a mile away from his neighbor. His experiment was known as to sustaining himself through living alone in the woods. The only labor that was availed to him was from himself and his own hands, making him farm for food and to sell crops. Throughout the chapters, he continues to express about how he views nature. Throughout the whole story, he can find self-resilience and individualism as he states “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was some companionable as solitude.”

Legacy

As Thoreau has written numerous books in his lifetime, “Walden” or “Life in the woods” is a known book that have made multiple copies and being available to school and around the world. As this piece of work consists of different chapters that shows how Thoreau was connected towards nature has influenced others to do the same within the years. Describing the landscape that he has saw such as “A field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air. It is continually receiving new life and motion from above. It is intermediate between and sky.” Shows readers how Thoreau see and transform the environment around him into a spiritual view which gives a better outlook. It draws readers who are naturalist to have connection with Thoreau as he connected his spirituality with nature.

Works Cited

Editors, History com. “Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” Is Published.” HISTORY, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/henry-david-thoreau-walden-published.

“Henry David Thoreau.” The Walden Woods Project, www.walden.org/what-we-do/library/thoreau/.