Walden lacks rigor in argument or unity of purpose, but has a lot to offer a determined reader. Thoreau excels in his descriptions of nature, particularly in his ability to create powerful metaphors whose relevance balloons outwards, encompassing the whole of human experience. His moralizing/philosophizing that is largely concentrated in the first and last chapters is of spotty quality (he has a superiority complex that makes his arguments sound hollow and whiny) but it comes from a place of mental strength and determination, framing classical religious teachings from Christianity to Hindu mysticism in terms of the natural world as divinity.