[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

In “Conclusion”, Thoreau writes about looking at oneself as a person and realizing one’s surroundings and being able to be aware of the factors that may be not so important, as the human race builds them up to be. Thoreau thoroughly explains what he has learned during his experiment in the woods, stating that if one wishes to advance in the direction of his dreams, and he strives to live the life in which he had imagined, “he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours”(Thoreau 358), allowing one to enjoy their life of simplicity. After countlessly explaining he’s whole ora for the reason he is living at Walden Pond, he states, “as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex”(Thoreau 359). The theme of simplicity is really the driving topic of the chapters in Walden and it’s clear that this is what Thoreau took away from his whole experience.

After reading Walden, I can say that my eyes have opened, and I feel now my vision of life itself has been altered. Being the first philosophical piece of literature I have ever read, it seemed a little weird getting use to the writing. Everyone has their own opinions on how they run their lives and Thoreau has his own; it’s as simple as that. Whether you agree with Thoreau or not, one can’t help to feel guilty in the way they live their lives, cherishing all the wrong things and always wanting more.

I believe that I, myself, fall victim to the category of people who cherish the extra things in life. However, after reading Thoreau’s philosophy it got me thinking of all the variables in my life that I could change, to simplify it. Now of course I’m not going to sit here and name off all the things that I’m giving up just because of this book, but next time I stress over something I can’t have I’ll question whether I really need it. Of course, I wouldn’t think twice if I were offered something I need to survive with but once something is offered more than once that I could live without is where I would  draw the line. The steps I will now take in my life stem from Walden, and I’m sure the novel continues to inspire many more who share the same thoughts as I did.

This is a quote I thoroughly enjoyed when finishing the story of Walden:

“Direct your eye right inward, and you’ll find / A thousands regions in your mind / Yet undiscovered. Travel them, and be / Expert in home- cosmography”(Thoreau 357).

-Riley Turcotte

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

In “Brute Neighbors” Thoreau continues to speak of his experience of living simply. He discovers red ants and black ants engaging in battle before his very eyes. He compares the battle of Concord during the Revolutionary War to the ants fighting, Thoreau says, “not a fight recorded in Concord history…that will bear a moment’s comparison with this… for the patriotism and heroism displayed”(288). He is saying that in fact the ants are fighting with more devotion than the men did during the battles for the independence of America. Thoreau, when describing a red ant, connected him to the historical figure of “Achilles, who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus” (288). The importance of Thoreau connecting the ants and their battle to history is to show his audience how much he doesn’t believe in real wars and ant wars and that they were arbitrary actions.

I agree with Connor’s point in saying that the ants represent the division of society. Humans are known to engage in conflicts amongst one other. History has written this before with the division of the Confederates and the Unions, and continues to write it in the form of ants.

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

In “Higher Laws” Thoreau explains that people should only eat to sustain their animal existence and that savoring the deliciousness of food is just a distraction from higher intellectual pursuits. Thoreau talks of his “simple and clean diet” which is the theme of his life (simplicity) and a governing factor for his meals (277). Personally, I would like to disagree with Thoreau. Food is meant to be enjoyed and to be savored and not so must that it is to be called a distraction. There is a reason humans are humans and not animals, so we don’t have to feel like we have to maintain that side of us.

I agree with both Max and Noah with the fact that Thoreau’s thoughts are not in the context of this time period. Now that we have a much broader variety of foods, we have learned to remain healthy with them and savor them at the same time.

 

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

Walden Pond is a clear representation of innocence. Thoreau reminds readers of the environmental beauty the pond presents to the lucky eye that may fall upon it. Water, in novels and in life, is usually seen as a thing of pureness so the sense that Walden resides at this pond and spends his day around it means that he has returned to his innocence, or pureness. Thoreau states, “this pond is so remarkable for its depth and purity” (Thoreau 247) backing up the idea that he is being ‘refreshed’.

Hunter makes an excellent point in which the pond is God-like to Thoreau. Thoreau speaks of the pond as a gateway to Heaven, and he speaks as if he compliments it enough he will find himself on the footsteps of God’s kingdom. When looking at it, outsiders may only see a pond in the middle of nowhere (which it really is), but Thoreau sees it as a sanctuary, a place where there is sweet serenity.

-Riley Turcotte

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

In the chapter of “The Bean Field,” Thoreau exclaims his love for the beans that we raise. He says, “they attached me to the earth” (Thoreau 230) symbolizing the beans as a connecter to nature and sacred soil that humans walk on everyday. The difference between the work he exemplifies in “The Bean Field” and the work he speaks about in “Economy” is that he is doing this work for his personal gain and by his choice, he is not confined to this labor. Walden is confused by the fact that most people over farm to make a living, he on the contrary believes farming and labor to be an experience everyone should enjoy, and to be able to be in a place where someone can be one with the earth and it’s features. Admiring the experience Thoreau says, “I turned to my hoeing again I was filled with an inexpressible confidence, and pursued my labor cheerfully with a calm trust in the future.” (Thoreau 235). Thoreau looks at the situation in a way that: why would a person make something that’s so enjoyable into a job…and while performing that job not exactly grasping the fact that it is a fulfilling, morally and physically, work to be done.

 

I agree with Cassie’s interpretations that most other farmers are working because they “have to” and are looking to gain physical things such as money and possessions, which Thoreau could care less about.

-Riley Turcotte

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

In this chapter, Thoreau explains how he prefers solitude over the company of others. He describes this in two ways, in the sense that the earth is tiny compared to the universe, and one is still lonely even when they’re with people because they’re alone with their thoughts.

-Riley Turcotte

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

The qualities of the Hollowell Farm in Thoreau’s, “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”, are described as a dismantled and secluded house. Thoreau compliemts”the grey color and ruinous state of the house and barn, and the dilapidated fences” (Thoreau 176). He is fascinated by it. Other people wouldn’t think the same way as him because they would much rather have extra luxuries, more space, and be surrounded by people.

I agree with Noah’s textual evidence of the importance of “simplicity”. Thoreau greatly expresses minimalism and how he is able to survive on little amounts of things. This also ties back to “Economy” and the necessities of life where luxuries and materialistic objects are not as important. These values directly correlate into why Thoreau felt that the Hollowell House, although not ideal to the common man today, was a perfect space to live.

-Riley Turcotte

 

[Riley “Grumpy” Turcotte]

What Thoreau is referring to, in “Economy,” is that the necessities of life that one must obtain to survive are the heads of “Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Fuel” (Thoreau 120). Thoreau conveys the point that  these four main commodities they are all trying to reach one purpose, heat. Thoreau explains, “the grand necessity, for our bodies, is to keep warm, to keep the vital heat in us”(Thoreau 121). Anything other than those necessities were considered hodgepodge, and unimportant to the survival of a human. Philosophically, Thoreau states that once a single human being obtains these superfluities is that they will “adventure on life” and that his (or her) vacation “having commenced” (Thoreau 123). After one has obtained these things, Thoreau believes that one may live a life of solitude and carefreeness knowing that their life accomplishments have already been achieved, and that now they may relax.

I agree with what Muriel says regarding to the fact that food and shelter are all what people really need to survive. Of course if one is avoiding the caveman persona, they would include clothing and fuel as one of their necessities. However, if ones to think about it, if the shelter is already keeping a person secure and warm, they would not need fuel or clothing. As long as the shelter is tightly built without any blemishes or holes for cold air to seep in, food would be the only thing a man ever needs.

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