Thoreau and Walden

1. Thoreau and Walden “I went to the woods…”

2. Henry David Thoreau • Born 1817 to a pencil manufacturer and his wife, died 1862 of tuberculosis • an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist • Published 20 volumes, including poetry, natural history, and philosophy • Deeply interested in the idea of survival in the face of hostile elements, historical change, and natural decay • His style interwove close natural observation, personal experience, pointed rhetoric, symbolic meanings, and historical lore • A lifelong abolitionist

3. Relationship with Emerson • They were friends, if not particularly close ones. • Emerson owned the land on which Thoreau built his cabin. • Emerson was somewhat patronizing toward Thoreau, but supported him most of the time. • At Thoreau’s funeral, Emerson said, "He chose to be rich by making his wants few, and supplying them himself."

4. Employment • Thoreau attended, but did not graduate from, Harvard • Took a leave of absence in 1837 because he did not want any of the professions open to Harvard graduates—he refused the diploma, saying, "Let every sheep keep its own skin.” • Worked first as a teacher in Concord, later starting his own grammar school with his brother, John • After John’s death, he went to work in the family’s pencil factory, first perfecting the use their pencils, then converting the factory to produce plumbago for typesetting machines • Was restless and unfulfilled and wanted a project that would allow him to find some sort of personal solace and activity—thus, Walden

5. The Beginning of Walden • Was advised by a friend to "Go out upon that, build yourself a hut, & there begin the grand process of devouring yourself alive. I see no other alternative, no other hope for you." • On July 4, 1845, he moved to a small, self-built house on the shores of Walden Pond. • Remained there for two years and two days. • Did a great deal of writing while he was there, including the first draft of what would ultimately become “Civil Disobedience.”

6. Walden The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self reliance.

7. Book Design • Although the experience from which Thoreau drew Waldentook two years and two days, the book is constructed in a very different way. • In Walden, Thoreau has designed a book which seems to reflect only one calendar year, as though he moved out one year after he moved in.

8. Why Go to the Woods? • "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.“ • In other words, Thoreau wanted to live his life in such a way as to not regret the “road not taken” (That’s Robert Frost, incidentally, not Henry David Thoreau.)

9. How Is This Transcendentalist? • Thoreau wanted to get the most from his life by determining what was really important, and he did that by removing himself somewhat from the normal life of Concord, Massachusetts in the 1840's. • One side of this was economic: he reduced his material needs by living simply, so that he would not have to spend much time supporting a lifestyle that he did not need or care about. • The other side was spiritual, not unlike the spiritual retreats of eastern and western religions. • In addition, he both proved and disproved the notion of “self-reliance.”

10. Why Leave the Woods? • He left for as good a reason as that which took him there • His feet had, in the two years and two days, worn a rut through the woods, rut being the important word • He wanted to have new experiences and to see new places while he could

11. Later Years • Traveled to Cape Cod, Maine, and Quebec, as well as Philadelphia and New York City in 1854, and west across the Great Lakes region in 1861, visiting Niagara Falls, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Mackinac Island. • Was adamant in his defense of John Brown, the abolitionist, which offended many Americans. • Became ill with TB in 1835 and had several bouts of bronchitis. • Wrote until he was too weak to physically put pen(cil) to paper • When his aunt Louisa asked him in his last weeks if he had made his peace with God, Thoreau responded: "I did not know we had ever quarreled."

12. Legacy • He had little impact within his lifetime, but the ecological movement has brought him back to relevancy • His political writings had little influence then, but now he is seen as someone who refused to compromise • “Resistance to Civil Government” (which we will look at next) is the philosophical underpinning for almost every protest movement of the 20th century.