Although in Michaela Keck’s analysis of Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden” there is a statement that even though one may not know “Walden”, they still know Thoreau (Keck). I feel that this is a fallacy because “Walden” is a work that is truly one of Thoreau’s, if not his best work and masterpiece; therefore, if one thinks that they know Thoreau without knowing “Walden,” they are not entirely correct.
Keck makes a statement that “Walden” has a focus on nature and the observation of one’s surroundings (Keck). This is completely true, seeing as a majority of the text is spent describing all of the things going on in nature. Thoreau describes many things in great detail, even when he could have used a more simply style. His speaking about the ants that fight is clearly a metaphor with a much more significant meaning, but he still vividly describes the fight (Thoreau).
A point raised by Keck is that it must be known that Thoreau’s location of Walden Pond was not kept secret (Keck). Many scholars, when analyzing this work bring up the fact that Thoreau was actually quite close to his family home and close within the reach of the society in which he lived. This is obviously true, as in “Walden” Thoreau states that he was only about a mile and a half from the town of Concord (Thoreau). Although this is a valid point, I believe that it does not matter how far away one is from society physically, but rather if they can still separate themselves on a personal level. This may have been why Thoreau chose the place he did, to in fact teach that one does not have to go to extreme measures to separate themselves from society.
Near the beginning of “Walden,” Thoreau says that rather things are of God or the Devil, it is the “end of man to glorify God and enjoy him forever (Thoreau).” I find it interesting that he is able to make his time at Walden Pond extremely religious. According to Keck’s analysis, the unity of many naturally, beautiful things in nature are actually considered to be sacred (Keck). Thoreau seems to make the time actually very sacred, one example being his daily bathing in the pond. This shows that not only did Thoreau have a strong opinion of the philosophical, but the religious and mythical as well. Still, I do not think that he was trying to preach about one certain religion but rather to show the power of the connections that nature can make in a person’s life.
All of these things are the key principals to Transcendentalism, but simply the thoughts of Henry David Thoreau as well. This is why I find it hard to believe that Keck would make the statement that one can still know Thoreau without reading or knowing of “Walden.” This work encompasses all of the subjects Thoreau had strong opinions in and is a great example of each of them. “Walden” is one of Thoreau’s masterpieces and it embodies all of his thoughts into one observation of nature and comparison of it to the real world.
Works Cited
Keck, Michaela. "Thoreau's Walden and the American Dream: Challenge or Myth?" In Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BLTTAD021&SingleRecord=True (accessed November 15, 2010).
Thoreau, Henry David. “Walden” In American Literature. Willhelm, Jeffory, comp. McGraw Hill. Columbus, 2009. Print.
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