Walden

Throughout Walden, Thoreau describes the ways capitalist systems have created a cycle of dependency for workers. Thoreau explains that capitalism obliges laborers to work hard just to procure their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, and fuel—resources owned by companies turning a profit. Because laborers must work so hard just to survive, they do not have time to pause and reflect on their lives, appreciate beauty, or fill their days with spiritual richness. Thoreau does not mince words regarding the physical and spiritual tolls of capitalism, speculating that the process of simply paying off ones’ home “take[s] from ten to fifteen years of the laborer’s life” (54). 

Thoreau posits that “men have become the tools of their tools” (65) because capitalism has taught them to crave unnecessary and empty luxuries. In Thoreau’s opinion, this pursuit of luxury distracts from the hollowness of capitalist living cycles. Thus, he pursues the experience of living in woodland isolation as an alternative to capitalist dependence.

Thoreau moves to an area that is miles from the nearest post office, where his closest neighbors are the trees, the pond, and the animals rather than humans. He expresses his desire to “reduce [life] to its lowest terms” (157) and re-discover what it means to live without the distractions of civilization. He builds his own cabin to avoid paying rent, and instead of purchasing food, he forages and grows his own vegetables. 

Most importantly, Thoreau never rushes through the process of building his home or growing his crops; he takes pleasure in these simple acts as a kind of meditation. Because he is not working for anyone but himself, he can take his time and thus change his relationship with these practical activities. He pays close attention to the sensation of the earth he tills, the clinking sounds of his hoe, and the beauty of his surroundings. 

While Thoreau’s isolation allows him to commune more deeply with nature and his natural self, he stresses that the freedom he feels extends much deeper than simply removing himself from fellow humans. He explains, “A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows” (233). In other words, he emphasizes that true freedom comes from self-acceptance and self-reliance—from the acknowledgement that man is always alone and at liberty to pursue his own autonomous desires.