Thoreau's Simple Life

Thoreau wishes for a man to have a simple life. He wants them to desire only what is needed to live a life without its extra indulgences. Thoreau alleges that man should not involve himself in so many affairs, but should instead, “let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen” (277). Through this excerpt, Thoreau expresses the desire people should feel for a simple life. Instead of living life involving themselves with unnecessary matters, they should try to minimize it by only doing the essential.
Thoreau would despise any sort of electronic device because he would see them as an unnecessary part of life. He has a strong resentment for anything that facilitates and takes out …show more content…
He believes that there is not any work man should feel he has to do because there is no important result from it. Thoreau does not agree with man’s “say that a stitch in time saves nine, and so they take a thousand stitches today to save nine tomorrow.” as he believes there is no need to (277). To Thoreau, woking seems a waste of time, for it does not bring any pleasure of out of life. His definition is meaningless and superficial. He only wants to do what is needed to live, and according to him, work is not part of …show more content…
He gives advice on how to go through life, such as that of only counting on the necessary. His ideas include to “live deep and suck out all the marrow of life” (277). Thoreau conveys his plan to learn everything he can from life, and to “corner it and reduce it to its lowest terms” (277). Looking at it from Thoreau’s view, he is not suggesting closing off from society, but is actually doing the necessary to live a simple life. In today’s world, going off into the woods and leaving behind technology seems absurd. Not believing in communication and only doing the simple things in life would be considered closing off to the