Rousseau's Isolation

Rousseau’s isolation in Reveries of a Solitary Walker
Reveries of a Solitary Walker by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a detailed documentation and analysis completed by Rousseau towards the end of his lifetime of his stay on an isolated island. Rousseau describes his stay on the island as “two months as the happiest his [Rousseau] life,”(Rousseau 2) showing how his experiences on the island comprise what he deems to be part of the idea of a good life or the best life one can lead. In Rousseau’s description of his paradise, it is not a single place in time but rather a collection of moments which are a result of the constant flux in life. Rousseau’s good life consists of the changes that occur throughout his life and the freedoms …show more content…
Rousseau considers his stay in the island one of the best points in his life because "during his[Rousseau] stay he [Rousseau] did nothing other than fulfill the delightful and necessary duties of a man who has devoted himself to idleness.” (Rousseau 3). The island upon which Rousseau resides has given him the opportunity to escape society and the social burdens of society, and in this environment, he found an oasis in the constant change of life. The island is a place where Rousseau feels content because he is able to escape his responsibilities while also relinquishing control and allowing himself to drift and contemplate the unexplored ideas in his mind. The unrest that Rousseau feels is quelled by the independence and resulting peace that he feels while on the island. Rousseau needed a place to rejuvenate both his mind and his spirit after years of producing content for society and the island provides him the peace and the joys that he needs in order to achieve the mental rejuvenation that is needed. The good life in Rousseau’s opinion is a place in which one can enjoy the many more moments of joy which are uninterrupted by