Walden
(Henry David Thoreau)

Simplicity

Thoreau purposefully sets aside most of the material possessions common for the time, thinking that most of that “technology” is more of a barrier to spiritual growth than anything else. The one-room cabin he builds for himself is a splendid example of this: the space was the absolute bare-minimum necessary to house him for the duration of his time in the woods. His discourses on vegetarianism and his encounter with John Farmer further illustrate the point.

Self-Sufficiency/ Self-Reliance

Thoreau’s meticulous accounting, which occasionally pops up in Walden, seems strange given the often flowery, romantic prose that usually follows it, but it serves as his proof that he maintained a semblance of self-sufficiency while he was in the woods. Though he only made a profit of around eight dollars, his success in planting and harvesting a modest bean crop was incredibly beneficial to his rejection of the traditional “work” that he found so disheartening for the body and mind.

The irony, which was not lost on Thoreau, is that the land he both lived on and farmed was given to him to use by a friend. Without that act of charity, the experiment that was Walden would probably never have reached fruition in the first place.

Solitude

In Thoreau’s mind, one of the most fundamental ways to escape the “desperate existence” of most people in modern society was to devote ample time to solitude and self-discovery. Walden spends most of his evenings walking in the woods by himself, contemplating nature. It is, he says, the most comforting (and comfortable) way to spend his time.

While Thoreau stresses the importance of solitude, he isn’t always particularly devoted to the idea: he claims that he had more visitors during his time in the woods than at any other point in his life. He also visited the town of Concord almost daily to visit with friends and catch up on the latest news.

Critical Thinking/ Individualism

"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away."

The familiar modern idea of “marching to the beat of a different drummer” was, in fact, first proposed in the pages of Walden. The idea of rugged individualism is central to Thoreau’s philosophy. He advocates deep thought and consideration as a means to spiritual enlightenment. A devout abolitionist and war protestor, he was even briefly jailed during the events of Walden for refusing to pay taxes to a government that he deemed corrupt. He lived in accordance with his own ideals.

Seasons

Thoreau uses the four seasons to form the narrative structure of the book. Though he spends just over 2 years at Walden Pond, he compresses that time into one calendar year, while simultaneously giving the piece a lifecycle, birth-death-rebirth story arc, where summer is the time for planning and planting, autumn is the time for harvesting and reflection, winter signals the end of the cycle, and spring begins the cycle anew.

Animals

Thoreau treats the animals he encounters in the woods with a reverence usually reserved for close friends and family. While he ostensibly studies the birds, the woodchucks, and even the ants that he comes across, his descriptions of their behavior retain the flowery prose of appreciation. He also treats his observations as a jumping off point for various digressions and meditations: the loon he chases around the pond by boat becomes a catalyst for nature’s dismissal of human concerns. He also uses animals as descriptions for some of the people he runs across, describing the people of Concord as prairie dogs.

Concord

The town of Thoreau’s birth, and the closest marker of civilization to him during his time at Walden Pond, quickly becomes a symbol for the modern, materialistic and complex life that Thoreau is seeking refuge from. His mild contempt for the townspeople is a frequent topic, but so are his excursions into the area, leading the reader to quickly grasp that, though his ideals may say otherwise, Thoreau is inexorably linked to society.

The Fitchburg Railroad

The Fitchburg Railroad runs along the edge of Walden Pond daily, carrying both people and cargo to and from Boston. The noise sounds, to Thoreau, like a hawk, and is a constant reminder of the march of progress. Thoreau claims that he, on foot, is technically faster than the railroad, given that he can travel wherever he wants without having to work to earn money for the train fare. This is one of his main arguments against the encroachment of technology on modern life.

Walden Pond

Walden Pond quickly becomes the spiritual center of Thoreau’s life, and he uses it to symbolize several things: purity, solitude, self-reflection, and even the entirety of humankind. He tells the reader that Walden Pond is rumored to be infinitely deep, and though he disproves this, he eloquently describes his fascination with the rumor, positing that people need to be able to believe in the infinite and unknowable, mirroring humankind’s longstanding fascination with religion.

The Bean Field

Thoreau’s opinion of work, at least in the traditional sense of the word, is no secret: he both detested it and felt immeasurable pity for people trapped in the endless work-consume-work cycle. Yet he devotes a large amount of his time to planting, tending to, harvesting, and ultimately selling the beans he grew on his 2.5 acre tract. He meticulously records his expenditures and profits with a banker’s eye for detail. To him, the small, subsistence farming he engaged in was an entire world away from true work; he engages in it because he enjoys it, but also because of its simplicity. While exchanging hours of labor for money only to waste it on extraneous material possessions seems a gross waste to him, growing food for yourself and others, using only what nature provides you, is a noble and spiritual pursuit.