Henry David Thoreau

What is solitude? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines solitude as the quality of being alone or remote from society. Henry David Thoreau’s “Solitude” from Walden revolves around the concept of solitude, including the misconceptions about it. Thoreau uses solitude as a positive way to promote the company of nature, rather than the company of other humans. However, he believes that an individual can only choose from the two, since being surrounded by one more than the other will not have the same spiritual effects. With a strong passion, Thoreau leans towards the side of nature as he claims that Mother Nature is the most intimate companion one can have. As a result, he targets the audience of today’s society that rely on the company of others …show more content…
Sweet and tender, innocent and encouraging, gentle and beneficent; all terms used to personify lovely Mother Nature. Providing nurturing images allow the audience to put themselves in Thoreau’s shoes and experience the beauty of being surrounded by nature’s features, that are often taken for granted. In addition, events such as thunderstorms, seeds rotting, destroying vegetables, are all events that would be thought of as negative. However, Thoreau describes them in a positive light, explaining that even they have their own beauty that brings good to the world. As a result, he implies that it seems as if there are no drawbacks when it comes to nature and her interactions, which he believes are common in a world surrounded by a society. He depicts how uncaring humans are by how they come into the woods in an absent minded way, taking what is in sight for granted. He even states that “nothing can make life a burden for me” to support his stand on how touching being amongst nature really …show more content…
When in solitude, a person is on their own without the company of others, as we are all used to. In “Solitude”, the main character is frequently asked if he gets lonely and wishes to be nearer to the folks. He quickly uses a series of rhetorical questions and establishes a comparison using the distance between two stars. In his response, he states that two stars are magnificent on their own, not needing to be in the presence of others to shine. The comparison can be applied to humans as well, in that we do not need to be amongst others to appreciate life. He makes references to the business world, stating that a large portion of the people in Walden have formed their entire lives around it. People choose wealth and riches, rather than nature that is far more valuable than a “handsome property” with no real significant value, besides financial value. In addition, he explains that the more we are in the presence of a person, the more we lose respect for them. Often, we move among each other, not even creating value for one another. He states that in society, we do not have space to be ourselves and instead develop an identity based on the rest of society. In nature, one has the liberty of being surrounded by their own thoughts, without the disturbances of others. One only needs God, Mother Nature, and