Examples Of Transcendentalism In Walden

Thoreau has always been considered a highly influential Transcendentalist writer. His views are very clearly expressed in the text Walden. In his work, Thoreau conveys an opinion on nature that was not highly upheld in his time or any time before it. His ideals might have even been considered controversial. Thoreau’s view of nature as expressed in Walden, although seemingly radical, were very progressive for his time, hold very much truth, and are still extremely influential in today’s society.

In Walden, Thoreau expresses views on nature that were not highly upheld in the society which he lived in. For example, Thoreau reveals his opinions on commitment in a highly controversial way, saying, “As long as possible live
THoreau liked to get away from the common man, to be alone with nature, no matter the cost. “To enjoy these advantages I was ready to carry it on; like Atlas, to take the world on my shoulders - I never heard what compensation he received for that - and do all those things which had no other motive or excuse but that I might pay for it and be unmolested in my possession of it…” (Thoreau, 381) Thoreau would go to the woods to “find himself” as it is called today. He would often much more than just himself, however. When discussing Walden and the ideas within it, Furtak says, “...it develops what might be described as a religious vision of the human being and the universe.” (Furtak, SEP) Furtak is not the only one who holds this belief. Many others express how Thoreau developed his ideas in such a way that they could not be ignored. Smith gives her own opinion on nature’s role in Thoreau’s texts, “Rather, nature… is a living character through which human identity is constructed either through the characters’ alignment with the natural world or their struggle against it.” (Smith, Article Myriad) Thoreau’s ideals influence the way people see nature
His views might even be considered common today, as so many go out to the woods, to find themselves or to get in touch with nature. Thoreau saw things as they should be, and that is what so many want today. Bowdoin expresses her feelings about THoreau’s way of life, saying, “As his understanding and intimacy with the world of nature developed, Thoreau became one of its earliest champions. Watching Concord stripped of its forests for farming and fuel-wood, and seeing the village expand into the countryside, Thoreau looked to the future and raised new possibilities.” (Bowdoin, Walden Woods Project) The ideas that were so foreign once are now common knowledge, even commonly upheld beliefs and ways of life. Thoreau has therefore achieved on of the goals he revealed in Walden, “I do not propose to write an ode to dejection, but to brag as lustily as chanticleer in the morning, standing on his roost, if only to wake my neighbors up.” (Thoreau, 381) Thoreau’s writings have awakened many, showing them a view of nature previously unknown. In regards to this, Baym writes, “A minority of critics finds him a true scientist ahead of his time, an ecologist before ecology existed.” Thoreau is even considered to be a scientist in some ways. His writings, so concerned with the way humans could respond to varying physical environments no doubt earned him this