Throughout “Economy,” Thoreau is living a frontier life in order to discover the true necessities of life. These necessities are very simple and are only needed to live in the most simple way. The necessities mentioned in “Economy” are clothing, food, and shelter. Warmth, however, is not considered a necessity because it is given to one by food. The clothing allows the heat from food to be contained in the body, and shelter gives one a place to live and stay safe. Once these necessities have been achieved, the next step is to expand. Like Alexa said, “…it is time that he, as a human, maintains a strong foundation and is the best he can be.” By maintaining this type of foundation, the natural instinct is to want luxuries, which sets everyone apart from each other. However, the next step is to grow with the necessities of life; agreeing with Noah. Since today’s society is the way that it is, it is every humans natural instinct to obtain luxuries instead of growing with the basic necessities in life.
– Catherine Beck
