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Reviewer: from Portsmouth, OH
Many people have the misconception that "Walden" is all about how to survive
in the wilderness, this completely misses the soul of the book. Thoreau
didn't do his "experiment" to see if he could survive in the wilderness, he
would have gone much farther from civilization for that. Rather, Thoreau
wanted to live life on his own terms in a setting that allowed him to
contemplate life on a higher scale then simply "getting a living". As he
states his life philosophy "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" ask
yourself what it is that you NEED to make you happy, and live only for that.
Reviewer: from Venice, CA United States
After I crashed and burned in a college intro to philosophy course, I wanted
to see if I could find a work by someone who was both a thinker and a
writer.
Thoreau, in his book Walden, proves himself to be it.
Walden is the narrative of the author's two year stay at the aforementioned
pond. He has decided to live life simply, and in a collection of loosely
connected essays, he describes the people, animals, and the pond that make
up his new home. If you haven't spent real time out in nature, you might
think this book is ridiculous. But go into the woods, and stay there until
boredom and longing for the city stops. Just then you'll realize the awe he
felt when examining the ice bubbles and listening to vagabond squirrels.
Thoreau has rediscovered the patches of Eden that still exist in the world.
And if we are open-minded enough to listen to his instructions, we can find
our way back to them.
Even if his insights into the idyllic perfection in nature fail to sway you
to live more lightly in the world, Thoreau will open your eyes to the
benefits of philosophy. He understands the man who marches to the beat of a
different drummer, and shows through his clear, crisp text the results that
thought and contemplation can hold for anyone. |
