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During the early to mid 1800’s the transcendentalist movement was alive and strong with Thoreau’s works certainly being one of its principals. Of these texts published by him, Thoreau would gain much popularity from Walden, which was a book about his two year long stay in a cabin he built for himself in the woods near Walden Pond. This book had lots of things to say about what could be learned from that. Themes of solitude, connection to nature, and individualism were in attendance. Lots can be said about Henry David Thoreau, as he was not only a writer but was also a big advocate for environmental conservation and political change. His transcendentalist beliefs centered around the idea of an appreciation for the inherent beauty of nature and the concept of living deliberately. In Walden, Thoreau willingly engaged in an act of self-isolation as a means to spiritual enlightenment. This experience was helpful in giving Thoreau an insight into the importance of a connection with the natural world and its benefits to everyday life. One of his major beliefs was that the nature of society to conform those within it was harmful to the individuality of a person and suppressed freedoms that all should be allowed to express. The works of Thoreau have only become more influential as the lessons present in them are timeless. In his experiment at Walden pond, Thoreau was able to show us the value of individuality and an appreciation of nature truly are essential to the lives of people then, and even now.

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In Concord, Massachusetts from 1845 to 1847, Henry David Thoreau spent time building a one room cabin for himself on Walden Pond. In an experiment, Thoreau was making an attempt to escape the conformity within society which he felt was limiting. By immersing himself in nature, he was able to reach a level of serenity that would not have otherwise been possible. Having a close connection to the outside world is in the mind of Thoreau and many like him today, essential for quality of life. Even during the transcendentalist movement of the 19th century, overconsumption and materialism were discouraged by many writers of this time. In the modern day it has only become more of an issue. The idea of rejecting this lifestyle and instead electing for a solitary life at Walden Pond taught Thoreau a lot about the importance of living deliberately. The need to constantly consume in modern society is restricting and does not give people the independence or freedom needed to live well. In contrast to the convoluted everyday lives of many of us today, for Thoreau everything he did had meaning and purpose. Living in the woods and just being able to wash himself in the pond each morning was a significant experience for him. In the same way we talk about gratitude for little things in life now it was just as important back then. Walden pond taught Thoreau about the importance of forming a connection with nature and preserving it. Just as he immersed himself in this world in a cabin in the woods was inspiring to many during his period, it is even more impactful now.

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While at Walden Pond, Thoreau embarked on a journey in search of a more authentic lifestyle in a pursuit to escape the materialistic society that was present during his time. In effect he was able to find peace in a life of solitude that was beneficial and allowed him to be more independent. Similarly, as we can see with this lone character in "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog '' by Caspar David Friedrich there is a sense of individuality and its inherent importance to the painting. The image portrays a person overlooking a foggy vista clearly somewhere at a high altitude in some sort of rocky environment. Although very different in some ways to Thoreau, this character seems that it also has a lot in common with him in his connection to the outside world and his assumed quest for solitude. It seems that the both of them may be escaping society in search of something greater.

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If you have ever been up on I-93 a few miles past Concord and taken a little boat ride on the Merrimack river you may have found a man named David Lidstone, also known as River Dave. Locals know him as an eagle watcher, a gentle soul who they may often make visits to bring gifts as he does not have much. For Dave the hermit lifestyle as he calls it is what seems to be the only reasonable option for him, many of if not all of his items are just recycled or repurposed things that once belonged to other people. Unfortunately for Dave, his cabin he had spent so much time putting together, had burned down around a year ago. “When you start to depend on physical things in life, you're one sad miserable person, you know?” a statement River Dave made in an interview with News Center Maine in 2021. Even after the loss of his home he still remains optimistic. Whether or not a hermit lifestyle is still possible for him after all the publicity remains to be seen. Seeing as he has since moved to Maine and we are yet to have word from him in quite some time, this seems to be a good sign that he is living as he pleases rejecting the over consumption and conformity of modern society and instead living a life of solitude with a heavy emphasis of connecting with nature and cultivating oneself.

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He has no mailing address and you can only visit him by boat.

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An old timer warns our unnamed protagonist to not go out into the cold unprepared as he will surely meet great difficulty in his journey through the unforgiving cold of the Yukon wilderness. The man does not heed said warning and instead ventures out into the wild unprepared. This is a heavy oversimplification of the beginning of “To Build a Fire” by Jack London. When our character embarks out alone, with the exception of his dog which is his companion, he quickly finds himself making one mistake after another and inevitably he slips through ice and needs to build a fire in which he fails. Not long after this, he perishes. Our character here found only bad things in nature with his motive being only to seek riches and prosperity in the Yukon as it was the time of the Klondike Gold Rush. I would consider this as an odd parallel to Walden in that. Thoreau was able to find new life in the wilderness in his decision against over-consuming. However, for our character in Jack London’s short story, he met his end on an adventure through the wild seeking greater wealth.

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I find it difficult to mention transcendentalist ideas and poetry together without talking about Ralph Waldo Emerson. In his poem “The Rhodora” Emerson documents his appreciation for nature and our connection with it. Only after explaining his amazement with the rhodora which is just a type of common flowering shrub, he says that whatever made the rhodora made him as well. Of course there is certainly an implication here of a connection between man and nature here through a higher power. For Ralph Waldo Emerson the beauty of nature truly is simply because in his belief system, nature was perfectly designed. A deep rooted relationship with nature is important for all of us to live well and intentionally.

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In our modern society, the world economy and globalization as a whole is growing and changing and expands our already very prevalent consumerism. The reality for most people is that you will have to buy things everyday, most of which you may look at and realize you don’t even need. Many of these things being ugly, plastered with brand advertising, meant to be appealing on a store shelf but not at home. This is where Maura Mallow speaks about her ideas regarding materialism and how just as Thoreau described, it is limiting. For better or worse, (I think worse) it is no longer realistic to reject societal norms in favor of a cabin in the woods by a pond. Back then you could get away with a lot more, like not paying taxes, Thoreau did that as a form of protest however you may not get any positive publicity if you did that today. In what has become a trend recently for those detesting the ideas of rapid consumerism, decluttering is how many people today chose to live a little more simply without straying too far from the rest of society. Maura Mallow believes that conscious consumption is important for people today and that we should think critically before just buying everything we see, not only for the health of our finances but for ourselves to live happily. I'm sure if Thoreau were alive today he would certainly agree with this seeing as it is similar to his ideas of living deliberately and with a purpose. If anything he may have  even taken it a little further by donating all of his stuff, not just some.

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The masterpiece of a simple life | Maura Malloy | TEDxIndianapolis