Walden Chapter 2: Where I Lived, and What I
Lived For
Nature
He moved into his new home in the woods on July 4, 1865.
Independence Day is symbolic as Thoreau is finally self reliant and
depending on himself.
Thoreau loved the beauty of nature.
Thoreau's first impression of the pond is that it is
like a "lower heaven," with the vista and
mountains spreading out behind it.
He compares his home in nature to a far
away land he once traveled from his
previous life.
Morning is Thoreau's opportunity to connect with nature. Every
morning he bathes in the pond, calling it a "religious exercise."
He states that morning is the time that all important events,
including poetry and art, occur.
Finding a Home
As Thoreau was considering where to live, he wanted a
place in the country, far from people.
He suggests buying a farm, but the owner's wife changes her
mind last minute and didn't want to sell.
Thoreau takes the idea of the beauty of the farm to plan where
he wants to live.
He ends up living in the woods with "nature."
Thoreau's Beliefs
Thoreau urges everyone to make
every moment of their life
meaningful.
He also states that living a life of
simplicity will get you on the path to
spiritual wakefulness.