This is one of those books that have stayed in my to-read list for AGES. I think I added it when I watched The Dead Poets Society and heard the line: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately”. I wanted to hear more from the man who could write such a perfect and lovely little phrase. I just didn’t have the time then. But then along came Classic Alice and their Walden-themed episodes. It was the excuse I needed to pick it up.

For those of you who weren’t attending in Literature 101 (or like, in life): Henry David Thoreau decided to live for two years (though in the book he says he was there for only one, for narrative purposes) in a cabin in the woods (Fun Fact: It was Ralph Waldo Emerson’s land, actually). He built it himself, and intended to cultivate his own food and so on. The idea was to spend his time reflecting away from the busy life of the cities and so on (that’s why he was a Transcendentalist). I may be talking only for me, but the idea doesn’t really sound that bad. And it’s fun to see that the idea of “alienation” that we supposedly feel in this day and age is not anything really new. It has always been there, even when they were not screens and that kind of stuff. So, there goes the argument of crazy apocalyptic people: we are not doomed. We can still last for a hundred years or so.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I could do this. I mean, I’d love to, theoretically. I like being alone, having lots of time for myself and being alone rings heavenly to me. But then, it’s an awful lot of work: cultivate vegetables, clean, build, fix stuff and all that. Life’s hard in the country. And no internet? Let’s just face it. I wouldn’t last a day there. That’s not going to happen any day soon. Nevertheless, I enjoyed Walden a lot. Thoreau is a brilliant author and he writes very vividly. It’s fun, because there isn’t too much action here. The novel is quiet and tranquil, like a stroll in the woods in a nice day. He does describe the hardships of the life there, but nature seems to take the bigger role here, and he describes beautifully.

“On Civil Disobedience” is an essay that Thoreau wrote because of his stance on the Mexican War (1846-1848) and slavery (before the Civil War). In it, he calls for citizens to have a critical outlook on society. He argues that it is one’s duty to fight the government if it is doing something wrong. Basically, he says that disobeying the law if it’s unfair, it’s a duty of a good citizen. He’s calling for revolution, in other words. It was really cool to read, because his ideas are very interesting. I actually agreed with several of them, because they made sense. Unfairness is unfairness and it doesn’t matter from whom does it come.

If you like long meditative books, you can give it a try. If you want loads of action, maybe you should read something else, though.