Walden by Henry Thoreau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Walden by Henry Thoreau - Essay Example The author harps on the self sufficiency while penning down the book which is clearly evident from the lines: â€Å"There is no odor so bad as that which arises from the goodness tainted. It is human, it is divine, carrion. If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run to my life. No- in this case I would rather suffer evil the natural way.† (Thoreau) The paper attempts to analyze Walden with a critical perspective. Once the reader starts reading the book he/she is acquainted with the knowledge of what made the author reside in a cabin made by him by the Walden Pond. The author feels that most of the people in this world spend their time in â€Å"mere ignorance and mistakes† (Thoreau) where the quest is only for acquiring luxuries. The author feels that the labor is wasted â€Å"from excessive toil† where man fails to acquire the â€Å"true integrity†. (Thoreau) But the author makes it clear that he was not a hermit who wanted to spend the time in the nature zealot but he was guided by a set of philosophical set of ideas. The reading of the book reveals the effort of the author in self discovery which was an experiment to learn how to live life. The author approach of life is that to live free and uncommitted as he is of the opinion that â€Å"It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail†. (Thoreau) He makes a difference between the mortal and the immortal by saying â€Å"In accumulating property for ourselves or our posterity, in founding a family or a state, or acquiring fame even, we are mortal; but in dealing with truth we are immortal† (Thoreau). The reading of the book reveals the author’s education from the nature when he says â€Å"I had more than ever come within the influence of those books which circulate round the world, whose sentences were first written on bark, and are now merely copied from time to time on to the linen paper† (Thoreau) The book reveals the transcendentalism of the author where he emphasizes on the beauty of the nature by describing the sides of the path being adorned by â€Å"the sand cherry with its delicate flowers†. (Thoreau) The sounds of the nature like the bird chirping make the author feel the harmony and pleasure. The author perfectly enjoys his â€Å"strange liberty† (Thoreau) The description of the nature by the author reveals the perfect harmony and joy the author is experiencing. One may be of the opinion that the books deals with the author’s opinion against the modern life settlement and the luxurious life one spends, â€Å"I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle and farming tool† or the authors explanation of the beauty of nature while he explains the â€Å"strange liberty of nature† (Thoreau), but reading of the complete book would reveal that the book is all about individuality, about leading the life one wants without following the conventions, â€Å"The life in us is like the water in the river†. (Thoreau) The book needs a thorough reading and understanding of the reader and reassessing is required as the narrative style is difficult. The initial reading of the book reveals the sarcasm and the wit of the author where he talks about the â€Å"frivolous† (Thoreau) nature of the human kind. The book focuses on