Walden

Name: Eric

Grade: 12+

Title: Walden

Author: Henry David Thoreau

I'm sure there are literary professors and English majors who might string me up for writing such blasphemy about an American classic. However, I shall still venture to say that "Walden", by Henry David Thoreau, is not what its cracked up to be.

"Walden" is about Thoreau's adventure into the wild. He decides that society is a sad thing and believes that by going back to nature, he will discover happiness and peace. Thoreau does this all at Walden Pond, where he lives in a small cabin among the animals.


While this interesting experiment is going on, Thoreau manages to insult most of the human race in the first 10 pages. The general feeling I got was that he is above us all; he is enlightened, to the point of almost divine status, while we consumers of the world are lower on the scale than squirrels. Thoreau really drives this point in by the way he writes; unless you are indeed an English professor, I truly do not believe you understand most of what he writes. I had a dictionary next to me, which I was forced to open and peruse every 3 words.


Walden is a long and dreary tale of one man's effort to stoke his ego, and prove to the rest of the world just how smart he is. If going to Walden Pond gets me away from this novel, then I'd be glad to go.

I picked this book up because I had to read it for a class.

I finished this book because I had too. That is the ONLY reason.

I'd give this book to someone who loves 19th century writers, or is an English major.
My rating: *