Why so difficult?

Never in my life is there such a book that I feel so hard to read. I have spent several months on this book, reading slowly and painfully. Every time I opened the APP and checked the rate of progress, I would sigh with knitted brows. I thank God for all his mercy. After what feels like a hundred years, I have finish reading this book——Walden or Life in the Woods,  by Henry David Thoreau. Why this book is so difficult to read? It’s a question always in my head while reading. After I finish it, I think I nearly know the answer. Transcendentalism, allusions, figures of speech and the unique temperament and values of the author make this book rather obscure. Transcendentalism Thoreau is one of the most famous transcendentalists, who believe in the essential unity of all creation, the innate goodness of humanity, and the supremacy of insight over logic and experience for the revelation of the deepest truths. Transcendentalists tend to emphasize the significance of intuition, therefore when the author put forward his views，it is common to see there is not any explanation. I guess we shouldn’t expect a transcendentalist to reason out their conclusions like a scientist or a rationalist. Because for transcendentalists, trust doesn’t need proof——you can learn it from your heart and soul. But for readers, especially those who are not that intuitive or know little about the author and his values, it will be a great problem for reading. They have to strain every nerve to understand why the author wrote so. For example, in the first chapter Thoreau wrote， A man is not a good man to me because he will feed me if I should be starving, or warm me if I should be freezing, or pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall into one. Even now I still feel hard to explain the profound meaning of this sentence. Maybe things should stay their natural way, I am not sure. But there is one thing that I am convinced of——if Thoreau is right, many of us are not good at all. Allusions Mr. Thoreau has successfully broadened my horizon with so many unfamiliar allusions. Before that, I am quite confident in my knowledge of allusions in western art works for I think I have already seen enough in the past 19 years. But sadly, Mr. Thoreau told me that I am still too young to understand his allusions and I had better go back to school to learn again. The allusions used in this book are so unusual and there is no annotation. And you will never understand what he meant unless you figure out the meanings of the allusions. For example, he wrote, It is not the tailor alone who is the ninth part of a man; it is as much the preacher, and the merchant, and the farmer. If you also do not know what on earth is “the ninth part of a man” and want to understand this sentence, you may understand how I feel about this. And it’s only a tip of the iceberg. Figures of speech They are everywhere. Mr. Thoreau nearly use metaphor and symbolization every time he wants to express his opinions. And after talking about beautiful sceneries, he would probably attach some wisdom of life to them. It’s pretty exquisite and interesting, but I have to say it’s not easy to appreciate them. You need taste, leisure and lots of patient. The unique temperament and values When reading this amazing book written by an amazing man, I couldn’t help but ask myself, what if everyone is such person and lives such a life? The future of human beings will be bright or dim? A man who believed “the devil finds employment for the idle.”, a man who said “The civilized man is a more experienced and wiser savage.”, what will happen if everyone has such unique personality? I shall never know. Because there is one in a million who will be so strange for the rest. Be lonely or be vulgar. Even when we can understand every word he wrote, every allusion he use and all the profound meaning between the lines, we may never resonate or agree with the author. Conclusions First and foremost, the book, Walden or Life in the Woods, is a nightmare for those who read little in English or read books only for fun. Besides, I, who have finish reading this book, has a strong will. Last and not the least, though the book is difficult to read, it’s also worth the time and hardship. The questions asked by the author is worth thinking about too. Shall we always study to obtain more of these things, and not sometimes to be content with less?