Book Review: Walden
Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, was published in 1854. It describes his living experience over 2 years, 2 months and 2 days in Walden Lake and gives some of his thoughts. At that time, with the rapid capitalization, American was transformed to industrial age from agricultural age. But at the same time, money worship and hedonism dominated the society, stimulating people`s crazy pursuit of money and fame, which led to the pillage and destruction of the nature and a totally ignorance of spiritual life. Thoreau had different belief, he tried to let people focus more on the peaceful and balanced coexistence with nature instead of on sensuous enjoyment and material satisfaction. So he moved into a cabin near the Walden Pond in 1845 without any modern facilities and proved that people can also lead to a happy life.
In this book, the author has a positive self-discovery of what the simple life is and how to experience a meaningful life, gives his unique contemplations about the relationship between human and nature, embraces the nature and shows his determination of maintaining the beauty of nature rather than just simply criticizes the society or records his retiring to the forest, which also makes this book has such a long-term influence on people. It is believed that everyone should keep their own Walden as a shrine in mind.
Frankly speaking, I have heard this book before and I was once so impressed by some of the words in it that I took them down but I never decided to read it deeply. And recently when I started reading it, the sections seemed a bit boring. But I realized it is a book that needs your patient and calmness to have a communication with the author.
“I love a broad margin to my life. Sometimes, in a summer morning, having taken my accustomed bath, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumachs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sing around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time.”
Thoreau built his own house, went hunting and meditated, leading a very simple life. But actually, he could listen the heartbeat of the nature and completely realized his personal value because only in this peaceful and lonely phenomenon, one could reach the bottom of mind and have a deeper thought and discovery of life, making the spiritual world as beautiful and impressing as kaleidoscope.
In the first summer, he did nothing but subsisted as he did not read, write, talk with others, or even plant beans sometimes. All he wanted to do was enjoying meditation during the rest of the long lifespan, from dawn to the dusk and the result of it will not be affected by any influence of others or the society. It is pure, personal and amazing and I think this pure meditation has not wasted any time of life but actually enrich the life experience. Though Thoreau only spent 3 years living in it, it is known that it is very hard to do it so I cannot help thinking what environment finally made him face life with such a calm attitude and gain brave to escape from the society. Is his despair of capitalization or tiredness of the hustle and bustle and eagerness for a peaceful life? I think all of them are included.
In 19th century, only those with a pure heart will choose this extraordinary route, which is very rare and sadly, it is even more difficult to find nowadays. We should have had an all-aspect introspection and given more praises and appreciations to those brave men. Sometimes we are so easily to be blind to pursue a so-called material life and as if we can do anything with money such as have big houses, own luxury cars and wear shiny jewel. Worse still, we will not stop when we get all of these, our greed will keep us in the vicious cycle until we die of ignorance of the real role we play in our lifetime and end up failing to get any happiness. Have we ever doubted if we have lost real purpose of living ? Why not try a simple and happy life ?
Walden is the best guide of leading a simple life, an affectionate description of nature and a letter of the challenge against the society. It still strikes people to the soul now because that pure spirit the author shows in the book seems more and more exiguous now. Being a social animal, we do not want to and maybe can not live alone even just for a short time, even Thoreau did not completely isolate himself from the outside world. But we can at least read this book, put ourselves into the position of the author so that we may find that we live so sincerely and naturally and finally gain the purification of our soul. Walden is a lake but it is not just a lake. Thanks to this book, it has become a synonym of the pure heaven in many people`s mind and it inevitably goes to the highest evaluation of this book. Every readers will have their own walden and walden will never disappear.
Everytime I finish reading this book, I can feel that the tranquil and limpid flow in walden flow right through my mind, flushing all the dust and I seem to have a fantastic and exciting appointment and a share of loneliness with Thoreau. It reminds me that whatever complex the society is, just keep a pure mind and chase for the right dreams. I hope that there will be more and more readers can get a chance to appreciate the fascination of this book. Then as Thoreau says, follow your mind and have your own inner expedition !
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