Beyond the Soul, Body, and Mind
Whilst ambling through life, one never stops to ponder whether walking has any effect on them beyond just the physical benefits. In her essay, “Walking and the Suburbanized Psyche,” Rebecca Solnit discusses these benefits and what we lose without them. Solnit opens her essay by describing the beginning of the golden age of walking as recreation and its eventual decline. The most significant reason she gives for the gradual decline in walking is urbanization This made walking an inconvenient and inefficient mode of transportation. Solnit then goes on to explain that there is a problem in the mentality behind walking as well: today, walking has become a symbol for those of a lower social status. Lastly, Solnit …show more content…
In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the main protagonist, Guy Montag lives in a dystopian society that looks down on literature and encourages brain-numbing entertainment. Montag, an enforcer of the destruction of literature, is walking home when he meets a new neighbor, Clarisse. She joins him on his walk, and poses a series of questions that causes Montag to become more open-minded. By the end of the novel, Montag separated himself from that society and embraced literature. This big turnaround in character began with that walk with Clarisse. Walking was a catalyst for Montag to begin to dig deeper and “suck the marrow out of life” (Thoreau in Walden) by enriching his life with literature. Had it not been for his walk, Montag would have continued to be miserable and not content with his …show more content…
There is truth to when Solnit says, “Walking can become a sign of powerlessness or low status” (Solnit 3). In my experience, coming from a low-income family, I would walk everywhere I needed because I had to. I cannot drive, my bike was broken, and I had no money for the bus. However, when I got a new bike, I began to ride my bike to destinations rather than walk everywhere. Were I to have the resources to learn how to drive and own a car, I would drive instead. Walking was more of a necessity for me, rather than luxury. Similarly, I have also had friends that would walk everywhere, but also ended up abandoning that option as soon as they got a faster, more convenient mode of transportation. The “mental radius” Solnit talked about was particularly larger for us than what she has stated due to the fact that my friends and I have run longer distances than we have walked. A more important case of necessity is a time before the Industrial Revolution. Solnit talks about a, “golden age of walking that began late in the eighteenth century” (Solnit 1). During this time, cars had not yet been invented and access to carriages were more common amongst the rich. That meant that most poor people had to resort to walking. It was a need, not a want. People did the most of their situation and walked everywhere to the point where it was used for recreation. Similarly, in today’s times, lower class
Whilst ambling through life, one never stops to ponder whether walking has any effect on them beyond just the physical benefits. In her essay, “Walking and the Suburbanized Psyche,” Rebecca Solnit discusses these benefits and what we lose without them. Solnit opens her essay by describing the beginning of the golden age of walking as recreation and its eventual decline. The most significant reason she gives for the gradual decline in walking is urbanization This made walking an inconvenient and inefficient mode of transportation. Solnit then goes on to explain that there is a problem in the mentality behind walking as well: today, walking has become a symbol for those of a lower social status. Lastly, Solnit …show more content…
In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the main protagonist, Guy Montag lives in a dystopian society that looks down on literature and encourages brain-numbing entertainment. Montag, an enforcer of the destruction of literature, is walking home when he meets a new neighbor, Clarisse. She joins him on his walk, and poses a series of questions that causes Montag to become more open-minded. By the end of the novel, Montag separated himself from that society and embraced literature. This big turnaround in character began with that walk with Clarisse. Walking was a catalyst for Montag to begin to dig deeper and “suck the marrow out of life” (Thoreau in Walden) by enriching his life with literature. Had it not been for his walk, Montag would have continued to be miserable and not content with his …show more content…
There is truth to when Solnit says, “Walking can become a sign of powerlessness or low status” (Solnit 3). In my experience, coming from a low-income family, I would walk everywhere I needed because I had to. I cannot drive, my bike was broken, and I had no money for the bus. However, when I got a new bike, I began to ride my bike to destinations rather than walk everywhere. Were I to have the resources to learn how to drive and own a car, I would drive instead. Walking was more of a necessity for me, rather than luxury. Similarly, I have also had friends that would walk everywhere, but also ended up abandoning that option as soon as they got a faster, more convenient mode of transportation. The “mental radius” Solnit talked about was particularly larger for us than what she has stated due to the fact that my friends and I have run longer distances than we have walked. A more important case of necessity is a time before the Industrial Revolution. Solnit talks about a, “golden age of walking that began late in the eighteenth century” (Solnit 1). During this time, cars had not yet been invented and access to carriages were more common amongst the rich. That meant that most poor people had to resort to walking. It was a need, not a want. People did the most of their situation and walked everywhere to the point where it was used for recreation. Similarly, in today’s times, lower class