Economics Of Living In Henry David Thoreau's Economy Of Walden

Henry David Thoreau discusses his judgements on people’s daily lives in chapter one, “Economy”, of Walden. Thoreau opens by noting that while he wouldn’t normally divulge so many details about his life, he had been questioned many times on his mode of living. He goes on to state that people need to live simpler lives by not being so chained money, and that the only things one truly needs in life are food, fuel, clothing and shelter. Subsequently, Thoreau notes that he was able to build a cabin at a low cost, and how he was able to make a profit farming a small lot of beans. Throughout the chapter “Economy”, Thoreau demonstrates how his commentary on the economics of living is rightly portrayed as insulting to the American public.

Thoreau’s

Notably, Thoreau claims, “to many creatures there is in this sense but one necessary of life, Food. To the bison of the prairie it is a few inches of palatable grass, with water to drink; unless he seeks the Shelter of the forest or the mountain's shadow” (13). Consequently, it is implied that humans have similar needs to animals, and are in any way comparable. Animals are less complex than human beings, and while they may feel emotions, their experiences are nowhere near the rich tapestry that is the human experience. Humans need emotional fulfillment, and for some, this comes in the form of material possessions, and if that is how they find happiness, then Thoreau has no right to judge them. Thus, doing so is disrespectful to society. More importantly, Thoreau asserts, “with respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meagre life than the poor” (15). Naturally, there are Americans live paycheck to paycheck, uncertain of their future, in dire need of financial aid. It is disrespectful to those Americans to glorify what for them is not an independent opportunity, but rather, it is a demanding lifestyle. To claim that such an existence is the ideal way to achieve enlightenment mitigates how grim that existence can be, and insults the