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1-Page Summary of Walden
Walden opens with a description of Thoreau’s experience living in the woods for two years. He says that he lived there because he wanted to see if it was possible to live independently, and now that experiment is over. In the first chapter, “Economy,” Thoreau explains his philosophy about society and domestic life, as well as how he constructed his home and supported himself during his time in Walden Pond. It’s full of facts but also contains many big ideas about individualism versus social existence, all interspersed with evidence from scholarly research.
Henry David Thoreau was a writer and philosopher. He built his cabin in the woods from scavenged materials. The land belonged to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who allowed him to live there for free. His time was spent either working on his bean field or reading and walking around the countryside. He believed that people should be simple, frugal, and solitary in order to find peace of mind; he contrasted those values with people who were materialistic or busy with their jobs all day long.
Despite being isolated, Thoreau feels the presence of society around him. The railroad rushes by his pond and forces him to think about the power of technology. He also talks to a wide range of people, such as peasants and visitors. He describes in detail his association with a Canadian-born woodcutter named Alex Therien who is grand and sincere in character but modest when it comes to intellectual attainments. Although he doesn’t go into town often, he does spend one night in jail for refusing to pay taxes because the government supports slavery.
Thoreau is good at observing nature and he likes to think about what it means. He thinks that animals can teach him lessons, so he spends a lot of time thinking about them. He compares the behaviors of animals to humans, such as when he talks about how the hooting loon plays hide-and-seek with him in order to make fun of humanity’s quest for knowledge.
As autumn turns to winter, Thoreau prepares for the cold. He listens for animals and birds going through their daily routines. He watches migrating birds and welcomes pests into his cabin as they escape the coming frost. By day he observes snow and ice; at night he sits by the fire listening to wind whistling outside his door. Occasionally, he sees fishermen cutting ice from Walden Pond which is shipped off to cities where it will melt soon after delivery. He thinks of how most of these people are forgotten when they die, while others who have money or power live on in history books forever.
Henry David Thoreau wants to map the depths of Walden Pond and neighboring ponds. He finds that Walden Pond is no more than a hundred feet deep, which is much less than what people had originally thought. As he thinks about this pond as an infinite symbol for his life, winter gives way to spring and the ice on Walden Pond begins to melt. With a huge crash and roar, it hits the shore in a time of great transformation when all sins are forgiven.
Thoreau announces that his time at the pond is finished, and he left on September 6, 1847. The revitalization of the landscape suggests a restoration of full powers for humanity. His narrative observations give way to more direct sermonizing about how we can live our lives fully. In visionary language, Thoreau exhorts us to “meet” our lives and live them fully.
Economy
Thoreau begins by talking about his time at Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts. He lived there for two years and two months before moving back to “civilized society” (he was living with Ralph Waldo Emerson). He talks about how people responded when they heard he was going to live in the wilderness. They worried that he would be alone all winter and that it wouldn’t be healthy for him. Many were shocked that someone would willingly give up human companionship. Thoreau admits this experiment wasn’t permanent, but only an experiment in living more simply. He discusses the moral of his story: simplified lifestyles are better than ones filled with excess possessions because they require less labor (money) and take away freedom from our lives. People who need things have a harder time focusing on their inner development; instead, they must work hard just to get those things which is not good for them or anyone else around them because it keeps people stuck in jobs where they don’t feel like themselves anymore as well as keeping others down who can’t afford these luxuries either due to money or class issues or both! It also negatively affects animals since we use so much unnecessary resources such as leather and fur products which causes animal suffering and death even though we can easily find other ways of getting materials without harming any animals at all! The important thing is finding balance between being productive enough while still having time left over to enjoy life itself!
