WALDENHenry David Thoreau

SummaryThis narrative of Thoreau’s two-year experiment in simple living, Walden has a strong philosophical and autobiographical tone. The excerpt from “Economy” relates how Thoreau constructs a cabin from used lumber and grows crops to earn a few dollars. “Where I Lived and, What I Lived For” explains his Transcendentalist intention to live simply and deliberately, in touch with the essential elements of life. In “Solitude,” he insists that his physical isolation is nothing compared to the mental isolation of people in communities and that his immersion in nature is truer closeness with all life. “The Bean Field” describes planting beans and battling weeds, using metaphors from Greek myths. “Brute Neighbors” recounts an any war, with allusions to epic human wars, and satirizes hunters’ attempts to shoot loons. In “Conclusion,” Thoreau urges each reader to follow the call of a “different drummer” and summarizes his own spontaneous, nonconformist approach to creation of a life worth living.

Three-Level Guide

Level One

What did the author say? – Identify the main ideas of the text. Write an objective summary about the section of Walden that you read.

Level Two

What did the author mean? – Use your summary and what you know about Transcendentalism, and write a paragraph explaining what Thoreau means. What is message is he trying to get across?

Level Three

Now that you have read the section, written an objective paragraph, and identified the section’s meaning, apply the meaning to your life. If Thoreau was writing this to you, how would it impact your life? If it would not impact your life, explain why not.