The View Of Civilization In Walden By Henry James Thoreau

Henry James Thoreau was a famous writer who viewed civilization as too ordinary. He wanted to experience life outside of his daily routine, so he lived in a cabin in the woods for a while. Most people believed that Thoreau was right to disagree with the basics of society. Because of this, he was put on a pedestal that shouldn’t have been created for him.
Thoreau wrote a story called Walden based on his time spent in the woods, away from civilization. I believe that some of the points he makes within this story are wrong. At one point he says, “brag as lustily as [rooster] in the morning...if only to wake my neighbors up” (pg 255). I believe that this passage is saying that we should boast about whatever accomplishments we have made within our
I think that telling others about it is alright, but bragging about it is unkind to them, because they may not have had a similar accomplishment and they may feel defeated. Another passage that I believe is wrong is when Thoreau says: “I did not wish to live what was not life...I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life” (pg 257). Living within civilization is still life. Thoreau wanted to get rid of all of the things that made life unbearable, but he could have done that pretty well within society; he didn’t have to live in the woods by himself. A third passage from Walden that I disagree with is when he says: “Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one. It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves.” (pg 258). I believe that this is wrong because he says that he had several more lives to live, when we only have one
In 1842 he stopped paying one of his taxes because he thought it was for the Mexican-American War and the expansion of slavery. He didn’t pay that tax for the next four years because he didn’t want to, even though it was illegal. After four years, a police officer finally confronted him about not paying the tax. Thoreau was then arrested and taken to jail for not paying it. He could have payed a fine as soon as he got to jail, and he would have been released right away; instead, he decided to stay in jail. The reason he stayed in jail was to raise awareness for the Mexican-American War. Most people are never aware that Thoreau even went to jail. This proves that he was idolized by people when they did not know the whole truth about