Thoreau Walden Analysis - 1615 Words

Schulz clearly states her belief that Thoreau was not only â€Å"narcissistic, and fanatical about self control,† but a hypocrite. She relies on common cliches of the â€Å"mile† walk back to Concord where Thoreau would feast on his mom’s homemade â€Å"cookies.† Contradictions that Thoreau himself commented on in Walden. Thoreau mentions in the book’s first sentence that he is but â€Å"a mile† from the village of Concord, the author seemingly self aware of his situation. Schultz criticism is overly literal, arguing that â€Å"Thoreau’s retreat at Walden was a desperate compromise.† The problem is that Walden is not a desperate attempt by a narcissistic misanthrope to distance himself from society, but rather an attempt by Thoreau to balance his own†¦show more content†¦As Jeffrey S. Kramer relays in his article In Praise of Pond Scum, Walden is â€Å"not a book about a man living in the woods, but simply about a man living.† Furthermore, Schultz actively criticizes Thoreau the man in an attempt to defame his literary persona. In defense of Thoreau, Kramer states about historical figures that â€Å"we like to make them out of stone, not clay.† As Kramer puts it, Thoreau was â€Å"the vegetarian who ate meat, the conversationalist who surveyed the woodlots, the pacifist who endorsed violence, the hermit who loved gossip.† So did Thoreau actively practice all that he wrote about? The answer is no. Thoreau questioned the very concepts that he often wrote about and have become associated with his name. In fact, Thoreau blurs the lines between his personal story and his literary persona to question and examine how every person lives their lives. If Schultz took into account human complexities such as doubt and contradiction, she would realize that Thoreau was not a hypocrite, but a man questioned life and relayed it to his audience. Moreover, Schultz continues to complain that â⠂¬Å"he preached at others to live as he did not, while berating them for their own compromises.† It is true that was often condescending and insufferable, even advising his readers to eat one meal a day: â€Å"The fruits eaten temporarily need not make us ashamed of our appetites.† He suggests that peoples appetites were otherwise disgraceful, and that food,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Thoreau s Walden s Walden 931 Words   |  4 Pageswithin one’s self. Thoreau describes the ability to find the true sense and meaning of happiness without all of the materialistic barriers that seem to serve as its guidelines. In Thoreau’s Walden, people are proclaimed for not living life to its full ability by impassively going through everyday routines, mistakable importance of necessities, and the idea of individual purpose. First, Thoreau believes that as oneRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Walden By Henry David Thoreau1300 Words   |  6 PagesCritical Analysis of â€Å"Walden† The autobiography â€Å"Walden† by Henry David Thoreau is a first-person narrative explaining what Thoreau personally experienced from his experiment after two years of living at Walden Pond, encompassed by nature. Thoreau isolates himself from society and martial earnings to gain a higher understanding of what it means to have freedom as an individual. He simplifies his life to get closer to nature to learn more about himself and society. If we focus too much on obtainingRead MoreAnalysis Of David Thoreau s Walden 1507 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Walden† Bullhead City The Alaska Interior Chris McCandless admired Henry David Thoreau, author of â€Å"Walden,† and adopted many of his ideals as his own. McCandless sought for simplicity and desired to stray from social norms and clichà © material goods. Although Thoreau’s book was found in Chris’ trailer, he did not live step by step how Thoreau did. He ventured beyond these transcendentalist ideals, taking them to unheard of heights. While Thoreau sought a life in the wilderness to ponder both natureRead MoreAnalysis Of Walden By Henry David Thoreau1088 Words   |  5 PagesThe excerpt Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, is a piece that explores the purpose of life, especially if it isn t lived to the fullest. Thoreau starts by sharing the meaning and value of life. His idea of his personal achievement was to live life and die with a sense of peace and knowledge that he did not waste a single moment. He wanted to live life while being true to himself regardless of whether he would find life to be cruel or a wonderful place, and this was a risk he was willing to take. InRead MoreAnalysis Of Walden By Henry David Thoreau997 Words   |  4 PagesWalden, a series of 18 essays by Henry David Thoreau published in 1854, is a record of Thoreau’s experiment in simple living on the northern shore of Walden Pond, Massachusetts. Industrial progress is a theme that Thoreau experiences while at Walden Pond. Even though T horeau makes some elaborate claims as to why industrial progress is destructive, the exact opposite is true; as such advancement does much to benefit the relationships, economy and safety of any society. Thoreau’s overall philosophyRead MoreAnalysis Of Thoreau s Walden s The Woods1153 Words   |  5 Pagesindividuals lack self determination and the ability to possess their own values. Henry David Thoreau, one of the major transcendentalist composed a philosophical autobiography,Walden that captures his life experience in the wood. During his time in the woods, Thoreau finds himself embracing the simplicity of nature and shows distaste in the society that forces conformity and lack of individuality. Thoreau’s Walden reflects society’s corruption of an individual s inherent goodness through criticism ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Henry David Thoreau s Walden861 Words   |  4 Pagesdie tomorrow would you live differently? Henry David Thoreau in an excerpt of his book Walden addresses complex philosophical ideas including death, simplifying everyday life and religion using: carefully chosen, meditative word choice, comparisons and other philosophies and stories intended for the audience of Concord during the 1800’s. Death is uncertain; no one survives to tell of the other side, yet it perpetuates life into existence. Thoreau compares living life to sculpting and that to â€Å"carve†Read MoreAnalysis Of Henry David Thoreau s Walden 1183 Words   |  5 PagesHenry David Thoreau will go down in history as one of the greatest influential writer’s and philosophers in American history. Not only was he a smart and intelligent man, but he had such wisdom and determination when he looked at every aspect of life. Thoreau was just an ordinary individual from Concord, which helped the readers relate to him on a more personal level when they read his work. In Thoreau’s Walden, he wanted the reader to understand that you should live life more simple, connect withRead MoreTranscendentalism: Henry David Thoreau Essay1096 Words   |  5 PagesHenry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau grew up in poverty; his dad was unsuccessful and had trouble mai ntaining a steady job. Thoreau followed in his father’s footsteps, ultimately bouncing from job to job, scorned by society for his unconventional way of living and lack of income (Henry David Thoreau, Discovering Biography). Thoreau began to write with the guidance of Ralph Waldo Emerson who became one of the most important influences in his life. LivingRead MoreEgoitarianism In Henry David Thoreau1662 Words   |  7 Pagesidolized Henry David Thoreau for his transcendental ideologies seen throughout many of his works, such as â€Å"Walden†. However is this respect deserved? Thoreau critics describe him as a very conceited, hypocritical, and egotistical individual who had little respect or empathy for humanity. On the other hand, those in praise of Thoreau describe his writing as unparalleled in terms of detailed descriptions, observations, and understanding and explanation of deeper meanings. Through analysis of his writings