Why I Went to the Woods

“Why I Went to the Woods” by Henry David Thoreau is such an intriguing piece of literature due to the fact that there are many hidden metaphors within its content. The book is mainly about a man who was in search to purchase a farm and unfortunately at the end the deal was broken off. He soon realized that perhaps this was for the best, seeing how he wanted more than what he really needed in his life. Not long after he decides to go off and live on his own in his own shack that he built in the woods. As I mentioned before, there are many hidden messages that must be paid very close attention to truly understand the meaning of the story. Throughout Thoreau’s experiences there are two main ones that must be pointed out. As we all know, he went to live in the woods. He viewed this as escaping civilization and finally being independence from the city and everything related to it. He makes this very apparent in his introduction. He says, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived"(Thoreau). Thoreau learns that he should live simplistically, with only the bare necessities in order to survive. He even goes on to urge his readers to live simple. While at Walden Pond, he realizes that he has been ignorant, but soon views the experience in the woods as a great thing to happen in his life because he was able to change how he would think. Reading is something that Thoreau realized he loved to do after he was in solitude. He always had a copy Liad with him, but never bothered to read it when he lived in the city. One he moved to the woods, he started reading it loved indulging himself into the piece of literature. Throughout his experience in the woods, he learns something that most people do not know: that humans are almost hidden in the darkness let loose into the world with aspirations of success, when in