Walden by Henry David Thoreau | In Depth Summary & Analysis

Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth analysis of the plot, characters, symbols, and themes of Henry David Thoreau's Essay Walden.


Henry David Thoreau's essay Walden details his two-year stint at the titular pond, during which he attempts to connect with nature and with himself.

Building a cabin and raising crops on land belonging to his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, he cultivates a relationship with the surrounding environment.

Living mostly in solitude for two years, he ingests volumes of philosophy and meditates on the landscape and the flora and fauna that inhabit it. Though he catalogues his observations in dispassionate fashion, his adoration of the phenomena he observes is clear.

The book ends with two famous and beautifully optimistic sentences: "There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star."

American writer Henry David Thoreau's essay Walden was first published in 1854. Using a borrowed axe, Thoreau constructed a small cottage near Concord's Walden Pond. The solitude and natural setting provided a perfect backdrop for serious writing. Thoreau carried out his quest to live as simply and mindfully as possible. Walden is perhaps one of the most important works of the Transcendentalist movement, which sought the divine in experiences of the natural world.

The philosophical essay Walden contains many important themes, including nature, as closely observing nature, Thoreau argues, is key to the best education; self-improvement, as meditation allows us to "elevate our lives" and understand our place in the universe; self-reliance, as living independently helps us break free from the expectations and conventions of traditional society; and minimalism, as detaching ourselves from a goal-driven, materialistic worldview is the path to genuine happiness. Important motifs include the four seasons, woodland creatures, and the great thinkers.


About Course Hero:

Master Your Classes™ with Course Hero!

Get the latest updates:

[Alceeeee]

4 seasons
Spiritual introspection
Regeneration of nature
Love of nature
Next to water/ purity : pond
Self reliance
Self improvement
Minimalism
Nature as an eternal guide and teacher

[aslydesleek]

I love that all these people appreciate this book especially in our time

[ranarian]

this analysis is so good for my adhd brain going into ap lang

[BruceThomson]

Thanks for the detailed, useful summary, saving me hours of reading.

[lilydavidson-nktq]

thank you for this, you saved me hours of reading^^

[lillya]

Would it better if you add caption as you speak a little fast for me ..

[markrunnells]

*Agreed! I slowed the speed down. It was even, more well paced than the original. I also found a slower speed to be rather enticing.*

[MikeBeeTV]

Wait, I don't understand what "work" is if Thoreau only worked one day a week but he spent every day building his house and tending his crops. The math just doesn't add up.

[boosaboosa]

The little animation dude looks like Abraham Lincoln

[clariceramos]

Taste of Individual minimalist ideal...too many people
Delicious narrative
Bravoooo

[leecoates]

I find his energy distracting and completely misplaced. Totally unnecessary. Had it not been for that and the silly music, it would have been a half decent attempt at an "in depth analysis".

[someasiankid]

learniing his life through observiing nature

[sirgalahad]

Our broader society (and I am a transcendentalist at heart) cannot relate to Thoreau. That's cool. I'm in.

[peachysquirrely]

Henry is the Grinch who loves afire before the Grinch was invented

[vesselsforhonour]

"A large house contains not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some indeed are for honorable use, but others are for common use. So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, c he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

Flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will." - 2 Timothy 2

[mahoneyjones]

My brain hurts. Not a good presentation at all. You simply do not have the voice, and your pace is too fast, for absorption.

[JohnJones-txrt]

Hard to hear and concentrate on this, with that bloody hillbilly music constantly jangling away in the background, like an over-stayed house-guest. Sheesh.

[cesargarcia]

it's good these videos exist, because man, a lot of this is lost of me. for example, the chapter about the pond freezing and people cutting ice out of it to be sold and having 75% of it being wasted was just that, a scene of every day work taken at face value. It didn't occur to me it was a scene of nature of being exploited and wasted, but one of resilience too. shit's lost on me lol

[ericvasink]

I have never stopped a video so fast in my life. You really think we wanna hear someone talk like that? Lmao

[chrisvaliant]

Next time use an AI speaker or hire someone with voice and dictation classes. This actor’s narration is like listening to a fork scrape a chalkboard, and I completely lost the point of the content.