Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Walden Student’s Name Institution Date Summary Walden highlights the period that Henry David Thoreau live a simplified life in the woods in Concord by developing his cabin and also cultivating his food. During these years of solitude, Thoreau’s ideology revolved around the importance of understanding his true self and how easily a person can be distracted by various events in their daily lives. The book then shows how Thoreau chose to exclude himself, which led to him deliberately choosing to live a life of simplicity and one that transcended solitude and mindfulness. Evaluation of the book Walden is a clear record of general intelligence that delves into various perspectives of life. Thoreau appreciated and observed nature intensely as in Walden; there are numerous details on how a naturalist should perceive plants, animals and the seasons of the Concord woods. Walden has innumerable instances of condemnations of mindless conformity and the waste of the human spirit that drove Thoreau away from the culture around him. In Walden, there are also accounts of detachment, living in the present moment and also the importance of mindfulness. In Walden, the author dwells on the contentment of his solitude and how he found entertainment in the march of the ants and the laugh of the loon rather than in marketplaces or salons. Thoreau does not loathe human companionship in fact; he highly values it when it comes on his own terms (Updike, 2004). This is clear especially when his poet or philosopher friends visit him in his home. Thoreau refuses merely to be in need of human society. Thoreau’s exploration of his identity is based on individualism rather than belonging in a specific cultural group. For him, it is clear t...