Henry David Thoreau’s masterpiece Walden entails his adventures into the wild where

he lived in little more than a small shack and contemplated on the nature of man. As a rejection

to the industrial era he decided that it was necessary to conduct a social experiment where he

would go off into nature and live on the most minimal of means. During his time at Walden

Pond he made many observations on the way that men live their lives and society in general. He

believed that men lived their lives in desperation and if they returned to a simpler source they

could find the meaning of their existence.

Thoreau believed that society had become too complex and as a result their lives were

miserable. The advancements that had been made in technology were using men and not the

other way around. Improvements to society were not helping men only enslaving them. He

thinks that men might be able to do better for themselves if they give up tradition and seek

new paths. He explains this when he states “It is never too late to give up our prejudices, no

way of thinking or doing, however ancient can be trusted without proof.” (Thoreau 314) By

rejecting old ways of thinking about things mankind might be able to move forward in a better

direction.

One of the most important points that Thoreau stresses is that it is best for mankind to

live frugally and to keep his matters simple. By doing this he is able to live a better more simple

life not fettered by the labor of keeping track of many different transactions and doings. Living

as nature intended lets man enjoy his life the way that it was meant to be enjoyed. It lets him

attain a higher level of consciousness and not be weighed down by the burdens of society.

Henry David Thoreau felt that by following ones dreams that something might be

achieved. He stated that “If you have built castles in the air your work need not be lost.”
(Thoreau 316) By doing the things that you want to do in life you can reach a level of personal

achievement that is worthwhile and satisfactory. His experiment in the woods led him to

deeper insight of how he thought about the world. He discovered many things in the time that

he spent alone some that he might have expected and some that he never did.