Henry David Thoreau

9 Pages 2165 Words

in reject as ‘Americanisms’ ” (Paul 53).
Thoreau’s philosophy is we cannot see, hear, touch, taste, or smell beauty and strength as we can a flower or a rock. But by being close to nature, we can get a hint of the spirit that transcends material things. All we have to do is get away from useless, routine activities, go outdoors, and listen to nature as it speaks to us (Ring 25). Walden and Thoreau’s other writings have made people see nature in new ways that they never saw before. Nature, Thoreau explained, brought peace of mind and encouraged people to think for themselves (Reef 12). “We can never have enough of nature,” he wrote, “The wilderness, with its living and decaying trees, the thunder clouds, and the rain which lasts three weeks…” (Reef 12). To Thoreau, nature was a living being. He wanted to do more than just enjoy its beauty. Thoreau wrote, “Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine-trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it” (Hough 263).
Thoreau did not wish to live what was not life. Living is so dear. Nor did he wish to practice resignation unless it was quite necessary. Thoreau stated, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get t...