Out in the wilderness and having lunch with his mother daily.

Didn’t his mum come and help him with his meals and laundry? That seems…rather tame.

I love Walden but especially love his journals. Soul nourishing reading.

Thanks for the reminder, time for a reread!

Read the book in high school and it was life changing the book seems to talk directly too you would like to read it again and would like to meet Henry in the next life

If you like Walden, check out: A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.

I’ve had this one on my TBR list for a while now. I’m surprised to hear you read it in High School?
I must have been under the wrong impression about this book, I kind of figured it was going to be extremely dense and dry (not the kind of thing you could make high schoolers read with any degree of success).
So it’s not that difficult a read then? Because I’ve been sorta putting it off, I was a little intimidated…

Walden is easy to recommend, because the first dozen pages have at least 20 eminently quotable lines. You’ll know right away you’re going up love it. And if not, “I trust that none will stretch the seems in putting on the coat, for it may do good service to him whom it fits.”

I also first read and loved it in HS, have owned copies ever since. I (old guy) have read literally thousands of books and it is still one of my favourites.

It’s great to hear that you’re revisiting Thoreau’s Walden and finding it even more meaningful as time goes on. Walden is a timeless work that continues to resonate with readers across different stages of life. Thoreau’s exploration of simple living, self-reliance, and the importance of a deliberate, examined life can be especially powerful in today’s fast-paced and demanding world.

The first chapter you mentioned, where Thoreau reflects on the lives of quiet desperation that many people lead, is a poignant critique of the modern condition. It challenges readers to reconsider their priorities and question societal norms. In the hustle and bustle of professional life, Thoreau’s words may serve as a reminder to pause, reflect, and strive for a more intentional and meaningful existence.

Walden’s combination of philosophical musings and practical insights into survivalism and asceticism creates a unique blend that has resonated with readers for generations. Thoreau’s deep connection with nature and his emphasis on the value of solitude also add layers of contemplation to the work.

If you’re interested in exploring similar themes in literature, you might enjoy other works that delve into nature, individualism, and the human experience. Authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a mentor and friend to Thoreau, or other transcendentalist writers could be a natural next step.

Feel free to share any specific passages or ideas from Walden that have particularly resonated with you, and we can discuss them further!

I’m a lover of his writing for both what it says and the way it’s said. To me, Thoreau is the best writer. Or prose stylist, if you must.

Relevant to some of the other replies–yes, the writing in his journals is often wonderful but much of it is solely descriptive observations of local plant life. If you’re interested in them but not up to that try The Heart of Thoreau’s Journals ed. Odell Shepard for a start, as it’s a very good selection of passages from it.

As well, if you’re already familiar with him then you might want to keep an eye out for The Correspondence of Henry David Thoreau, ed. Walter Harding. Not only does it dispel the notion that Thoreau was asocial but it has some unexecellable writing: the magnificent passage beginning ‘Pursue, keep up with, circle round and round . . . .’ is as I discovered many years after first coming across it from one of his letters.