In this book, Thoreau describes his own life, the period when he lived alone for two years on the banks of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, and also shares his thoughts on the meaning of life and on the most rational way of combining spiritual activity with providing the necessary material living conditions.
The hut, which he built with his own hands, stands in the forest a mile away from any dwelling. He earns food exclusively by the labor of his hands. He uses basic necessities, which include food, shelter and clothing. According to Thoreau, a modern person goes beyond the framework of his needs, forcing himself to spend time and effort to earn money and acquire on it what, if he had done it himself, it would have cost him much less and would have required less effort. Anyone can get food by working on a small site exclusively for himself, to build a house with his own hands, as Toro did, to wear simple, homespun clothes. Then a person could cease to be a slave to civilization and his own, would have received more free time to develop spiritually. Society distracts him from serious thoughts. In addition, according to Thoreau, people communicate with each other too often and do not have time to acquire new values for each other. However, with all his love of loneliness, Toro is not a hermit. Sometimes up to thirty people come to him. True, the most complete and interesting communication takes place with a small crowd of people. If a guest comes alone, he shares a modest meal with the host, if there are more guests, then everything is limited to spiritual food, that is, conversations. While he lives in the forest, more people come to him than at any other time of his life; for him it is a great opportunity to watch them.
Drivers often find him working on the ground, in particular, cultivating beans. Working without a horse, ox and farm laborers, he manages to make friends with them, they tie him to the ground, he draws strength from them. He does not resort to the help of agricultural benefits, since the crop volume does not matter to him. At the same time as beans, he “plants” seeds of spiritual values: sincerity, truth, simplicity, faith, innocence. This is more important to him. He turns agriculture into a truly sacred occupation, as it once was, and is ready to sacrifice not only the first, but also the last material fruits of his allotment.
After work, he goes to the nearest village for news at least once every two days. There, having visited some of his acquaintances, having listened to the news, he returns home at night, and at the same time never goes astray. Although getting lost in the forest, in his opinion, is an unforgettable and instructive sensation. As long as a person does not stray from the road, he does not comprehend the whole "vastness and unusual nature." Leaving home, he never locks the door. However, he was never robbed. He is convinced that if everyone lived as simply as he, robberies would not be known, because they occur where some have surpluses, while others do not have what is needed.
Within a few miles of his hut, in addition to Walden, there are several more ponds. He describes their life as the life of living beings. Coastal trees look like eyelashes to him, downy lake-eyes, cliffs are eyebrows, shores are lips, which the pond licks. Instead of going to learned people, he, like friends, visits some rare trees in those parts - black birch, beech or some especially tall pine. Once during a long walk, he enters the house of a very poor Irish with many children, advises him to follow his own example, refuse to work for the owner, live a carefree life and go towards adventures. Then, according to Thoreau, the Irish will be able to cope with his need.
Sometimes, in addition to striving for spiritual life, wild beginnings awaken in him, and he goes fishing, hunting. However, if a person carries the seeds of spirituality in himself, then growing up, he refuses such activities. That is what Toro does over time and almost completely refuses animal food. It seems to him that there is something extremely unclean in her. It interferes with the preservation of spiritual strength and poetic feelings. If you abandon it completely, of course, some physical weakening of the body may occur, but do not regret it, because such a life is in agreement "with the highest principles." He does not drink wine, but only clean water from the pond, because he wants to always be sober. If you get drunk, it’s only air, says Thoreau. A lot of animals live next to him: a completely tamed wild mouse that eats from his palm, a partridge with its chicks, whose calm and wise eyes of Toro seem as ancient as the sky itself, which is reflected in them. He witnesses a fight between ants, red and black, and at the same time feels the same excitement as if people were in front of him. At the pond, he watches the loon, which, trying to outwit him, dives into the pond all day.
Closer to winter, Toro lays a hearth in his house. The fire of the hearth also becomes his friend. Looking at the fire in the evenings, he cleans his thoughts and soul from the filth accumulated during the day. In winter, few people wander into his hut. But there is a great opportunity to watch the animals. Near his house, he scatters immature corncobs, potato peelings, and then with interest watches the habits of rabbits, squirrels, jays, and tits attracted by a treat. Once a sparrow sits on his shoulder, he perceives this as a difference "higher than any epaulettes."
In winter, the pond falls asleep and is covered with a layer of blue ice. In the morning, people come to him to catch perches and pikes. Villagers and even whole ice axes are stocked with ice for the summer.
The people of Walden Pond are believed to have no bottom. At the beginning of 1846, armed with a compass, chain and lot, Toro finds the bottom and measures the depth of the pond.
In late March - early April, the pond opens. Under the influence of sunlight in the mornings and in the late afternoon, it buzzes, and then it seems that it stretches and yawns a waking person. The whole Earth for Toro is a living creature. Returning from the south, in spring geese, ducks, pigeons, swallows fly over the pond, frogs and turtles appear. The grass begins to turn green. Spring morning brings forgiveness of all sins and a call for spiritual rebirth. Thoreau believes that people should live in unison with nature, listen to its commandments. Stagnation would come in the life of cities if the wild nature did not coexist with them, because for them it is a source of vivacity. Man wants to know everything at the same time, and leave the mystery of nature unsolved. He needs to know that there are forces that are superior to his own.
Thus ends the first year of Toro's life in the forest. The second year is very similar to him, and the author does not describe him. On September 6, 1847, Thoreau finally left Walden.
He leaves the forest for the equally important reasons for which he settled. It seems to him that he should live a few more lives, and not follow the already beaten path. If a person boldly goes to his dream, then he expects success, which is not given to everyday life. In this case, his life begins to obey the higher laws, and he gains supreme freedom. The more he simplifies his life, the easier it seems to him the universal laws; loneliness, poverty, weakness cease to exist for him. It’s not even necessary to understand others, because in their entire mass stupidity and conventions reign around. Everyone should try to do their own thing, become what he was born to be. If modern mankind and modern man can seem like pygmies, compared with the ancient peoples, then, according to Thoreau, you need to try to become the "greatest of the pygmies", to study your own soul and improve it.
