- Published: January 12, 2022
- Updated: January 12, 2022
- University / College: University of Surrey
- Level: Masters
- Language: English
- Downloads: 32
Walden by Henry David Thoreau Walden by Henry David Thoreau is an autobiography, in which the himself appears for the main character and the narrator of the story. In the novel, he delivers himself as a true transcendentalist, who disregards material things and people who are focused on them, appreciates nature, and focuses on mulling over spiritual and societal problems.
The first characteristic feature of the narrator of the novel, which arrests the reader’s attention, is his adherence to the idea of people has a right to live as they choose even though they choose to live in an eccentric and whimsy way. In fact, he does not only thinks so; he decides to try living out of the bounds of the society, alone with nature and without any support from other people. By this, he delivers himself as quite an eccentric person who is looking for the answers on questions that bother him a lot, for example, those that deal with spiritual and social problems. In addition to this, the narrator explicitly demonstrate his somewhat scornful attitude to people, and believes that life is a great gift bestowed on people, and many of them cannot use it properly. More specifically, he shows that he is disappointed in people wondering why some many of them attach themselves to material things and forget about spirituality. At the same time, the narrator delivers himself as a true lover and admirer of nature. He tend to show his love and appreciation to every part of nature, whether alive or not, and talks about them with awe. In other words, the narrator acts as and sticks to the ideas of Transcendentalism.
For those, who has not read Walden by Henry David Thoreau, the main character and narrator of the peace can be described as a person who wants to simplify his life but, on the contrary, makes it more complex because there are contradictions that struggle in his mind. For example, despite he appreciates and loves nature, he expresses an ambivalent attitude towards the impact of people on nature. At first, he argues against using natural resources in order to get material gain; on the other hand, he uses these resources for personal advantage. In addition to this, the narrator is a bit arrogant as it sometimes seems he considers himself to be superior to other people because he has managed to deal with his longing for material gain; he even calls his friend on whose land he lives by surname. At the same time, the narrator is a wise and insightful person. In particular, he is very skeptical when it comes to the society, he looks below the surface, criticizes American consumerism and even foretells it flourish in the future. Thoreau is also determined and persistent to accomplish what he has planned to do. Finally, he appears to be a well-educated person as he is able to apply his knowledge of the Ancient Greek literature to life and accepts it as a way of seeing and understanding the world around him.