title change.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life"
Thoreau experimentally spent two years at Walden Pond without the accompaniment of others. He was for the most part completely alone and was able to free himself from society. However, he was not far away from civilization and would occasionally talk to others. Thoreau's Walden is basically the written explanation for why exactly he went to the pond and what he did there. In the wilderness, Thoreau is able to focus on his surroundings and nature. He notices things most would be too distracted to notice and embraces it.

"The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels (p.219)" To me, this quote basically means that individuals follow the same "paths" as the others before them. That in society, the usual is to do as others have or that others want you to. Thoreau obviously found the need to separate himself from society and choose what "path" he wanted to take on his own without the influence of others.

Thoreau's attempt to isolate himself from the world is admirable. For some reason every time I read a book or watch a movie about someone isolating themselves, it makes me want to do the same. Honestly, I wouldn't mind spending a few years in an unmarked forest by myself. The serene solitude would be nice, but eventually I would get tired of it.