Thoreau and Individuality

It is difficult to obtain true individuality. People always make an attempt to define themselves and almost always find that the image of conformity seems more influential than individualism. Still, there is a minority of people that have a unique way of rationalizing their ideas and enforcing them, regardless of what societal stance is on the issue. Henry David Thoreau is best known for his independent thinking and controversial ideas. In his book Walden, he searches for and finds individuality. This is best shown through his perspective on the faults of man.

Thoreau is very critical on human lifestyle and has a passionate distaste for all the faults of mankind. He discusses man's love for idleness, and stresses that all of man's work should be meaningful and sufficient. Robert Cosbey takes it a step farther when he states, "Meaningless labor corrupts. Anything which is done only to get money is corrupting" (Cosbey 15). Thoreau infers many times in his book that superfluous work, especially when done in order to take advantage of other people and their money, is shameful. He believes that people should only do the work that is required of them and "demands justice for all who, by their lives and works, are a blessing to mankind" (Thoreau 100). He also discusses traveling, and how this notion that transportation is more efficient than simply walking on foot distorts the mind. "I have learned that the swiftest traveler goes afoot," Thoreau asserts (Thoreau 77). Thoreau logically insures the reader that it would take less time to travel a week on foot as compared to taking the train, stopping constantly, and then having to pay money for it. He claims that it is probable for a thinking human being to take the former. He also says that, when traveling, do not linger. "The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till the other is ready and it may be a long time before they get off," proclaims Thoreau (Thoreau 96). It is useless to wait around for another when it is much simpler to go at it alone. Another person will only prevent Thoreau from reaching his desired destination at a much faster pace. Metaphorically, Thoreau is saying that everything he does, whether it be traveling or laboring by the pond, must be done independently if he wants it done swiftly and efficiently.

Nothing can be done proficiently if one remains stagnant, and so Thoreau warns of the dangers of commitment in Walden. He asserts that "it makes little difference whether [one commits] to a farm or the county jail" (Thoreau 108). It is his belief that if one commits himself to anything for an extended period of time, he will feel confined to his commitment, and then it becomes nothing more than a burden to him. To live under obligation is a lousy lifestyle, which is why Thoreau only spends such a short time at Walden Pond. He states, "I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare anymore time for that one" (Thoreau 347). The pond, in itself, is a commitment that Thoreau refuses to make. Don W. Klein believes that the cabin at Walden Pond resembles a prison. It can be compared to a jailhouse at Concord because neither occupant is any less free. Thoreau will not detain himself for any reason because, ultimately, he will be ending his life. It is also Thoreau's belief that this type of suicide is a choice. Klein concurs with Thoreau, saying, "Prisons do not make prisoners," making it clear that, in the end, it is the person that is responsible for the choices that he makes (Klein 8).

Thoreau loathes materialism in a man because he believes that it corrupts the mind and leaves man desiring objects that, in the end, he will not need. Walter Harding suggests that "Thoreau's theory of ultimate value is metaphysical rather than economic" (Harding 3). Thoreau's premise is that people are to be content with less, rather than lust for more. Robert Cosbey insinuates, "Thoreau believes fervently that possession corrupts...this is not a joke or a pose, with Thoreau, but one of his deepest convictions" (Cosbey 14-15). The more a person has, the more he craves, and this is a point Thoreau says is very critical on a person's behavior. He believes that it is smarter to desire what a person needs, and avoid what is unnecessary. Collamer Abbott suggests that "Walden is, in part, a satire on the pretentious aspirations of the common man for status as a gentleman" (Abbott 1). Thoreau's book is just a farce on how people strive for what they do not need and never find the fulfillment they search for. Thoreau's belief is that those