Thoreau himself loved nature from an early age and had a keen interest in it. Influenced by transcendentalism, he strengthened his attitude and determination to get in close contact with nature. Almost all his literary works have natural shadows. A Week on the River was written by arranging the whole trip after he and his brother John sailed on the Concord River and Merrimack River for a week. Similar works include Forest of Maine and Cape Cod.
Among Thoreau's many works, Walden can be said to portray the shadow of nature vividly. Walden recorded the details of Thoreau's life by the lake for two years and two months from 1845 to 1847.
Walden Lake consists of 18 essays. These chapters are: where I live, my life pursuit, reading, sound, loneliness, visitors, bean fields, villages, lakes, baker's grange, higher principles, neighbors with small animals, indoor heating, former residents, visitors in winter, small animals in winter and lakes in winter.
Walden Lake is the record of Thoreau's Loneliness by Walden Lake, which describes what he saw, heard and thought for more than two years and what he experienced during his stay in Walden Lake.
In the book, Thoreau began to write in spring, experienced summer, autumn and winter, and ended in spring. This is a life cycle, the end point is the starting point, and life begins to recover.
Thoreau began to record his life experiences when he lived by Walden Lake. His writing motivation comes not so much from his carefully conceived artistic conception as from his situation by the lake at that time.
Thoreau got along well with the farmers and neighbors around Walden Lake, experienced everything around him personally, got in close contact with the small animals around Walden Lake, had heart-to-heart exchanges, felt the desire for freedom in different worlds, and felt the way to get along with nature.
The title of Walden Lake comes from Walden Lake where Thoreau lived, and it is full of simple and natural style. The blue cover of Walden Lake is so consistent and appropriate with the natural beauty of Walden Lake itself.
Thoreau is a thinker who pursues spiritual independence. He believes that nature is a natural harbor to maintain spiritual independence. So in April of 1845, Thoreau came to Walden Lake on the outskirts of Concord.
Starting from the necessities of life, Thoreau cut down pine and built his own house frame, which cost less than $29. In winter, Thoreau painted plaster on the wall to keep out the cold wind. The house is next to the forest, only thirty or forty meters away from Walden Lake.
Thoreau lived a minimalist life here. Every morning, he is full of energy and makes his life as simple and pure as nature.
Did Thoreau build a house with such a mood? As he wrote in the book: "When nailing the batten, every time I hit the hammer, I can nail an iron nail, which makes me feel good." This is the joy of labor and the portrayal of Thoreau's mood when he began to enjoy life by the lake.
Walden Lake is located outside Concord, Massachusetts. This is a beautiful small lake beside a country road in New England. It is not only Thoreau's habitat, but also his spiritual sustenance and spiritual harbor.
As he described in Walden Lake, Walden Lake "is a bright dark green lake, half a mile long, surrounded by about one mile and three quarters, with an area of about sixty-one and a half acres".
Thoreau also said, "Walden Lake is a perfect mirror of the forest. It is surrounded by stones. I think they are precious and rare. Nothing is more beautiful, purer and wider than this lake lying on the surface of the earth. "
On July 4th, the cabin was finally ready for occupancy. Thoreau moved into a cabin on the shore of Walden Lake with a happy heart and began to live alone for two years and two months.
Here Thoreau cultivated his own land, sowing potatoes, corn, peas, radishes and broad beans, and also planted pine and hickory trees, some of which were used as food and the other were sold for other living expenses. The furniture in the room is also very simple, and some of them are made by himself. When I have time, I will go to the village to do carpentry and some chores to earn some money to subsidize my daily expenses.
In his spare time, Thoreau would come to the lake and feel the clear water of Walden Lake, the breeze blowing from Walden Lake and the beauty of nature. He can read, write and think about life by the lake.
Here, Thoreau observed, listened, meditated, felt and recorded the spring, summer, autumn and winter, rain and snow of Walden Lake. Walden Lake is his close partner and lover, and he spent every morning and evening with him, full and happy.
By Walden Lake, Thoreau was mixed with wild ducks, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and other small animals. Thoreau carefully observed their words and deeds, every move, and everything around him became his good neighbor and partner.
During the communication between Thoreau and nature, he explored the wisdom of life and tried to restore the true colors and essential meaning of life. He devoted himself to it, and earnestly practiced his simple living, which attached great importance to material and spirit.
In this process, Thoreau carefully recorded the true meaning of nature and life that he observed, listened, felt and thought. So he put what he saw in his eyes and thought in his heart into his pen and compiled a collection of essays, Walden Lake. Reading between the lines, we can feel that this life is simple but full of fun. Although the surface is poor, the inner world is still fruitful.
Walden Lake is told in the first person's "I" tone, and the details of life along Walden Lake are recorded in detail with delicate brushstrokes.
In autumn, he will look up at the flight and migration of geese in the sky at the door of the hut; In winter, he observed and recorded the time when the lake was frozen and thawed. Close contact with Walden Lake also provided Thoreau with new materials for his writing.
When he walked by the lake and felt the beauty of nature, his writing inspiration would trickle out from his pen, so Thoreau wrote in his article: "I walked back and forth in nature, visited some of her territories and felt unprecedented freedom."
In Thoreau's works, people will play the flute at night in Walden Lake, so Thoreau wrote: "On this happy night, I feel that Shu Tai is all over my body and every pore is full of happiness."
When he was in close contact with Walden Lake, bass swam around him. So Thoreau would write: "However, sometimes I deeply feel that the most beautiful, tender, pure and inspiring relationship is probably the relationship between man and nature."
In Thoreau's eyes, every creature in nature "carries some human thoughts" and communicates with him.
Thoreau's mole made a home in his cellar and stole potatoes. A gray-breasted long-tailed harrier built a nest in his hut. The life experience of getting along with small animals added a lot of fun to Thoreau's life.
He will deliberately wake a striped owl sitting on a white pine for a nap. Waterbirds in Walden Lake play hide-and-seek with him on the lake. When he was writing or reading, the red squirrel crawled under his feet. Red squirrels would come to Thoreau from time to time. The lovely image and changeable movements of the red squirrel brought Thoreau a lot of joy.
Thoreau described the natural and happy life in Walden Lake with a relaxed and happy style. He threw himself into the embrace of nature and felt its enlightenment.
Thoreau's life along Walden Lake is full of warmth, which can be seen from his description of Walden Lake and its surrounding scenery: Walden Lake's changeable weather, colorful appearance, fragrant and colorful colors all year round adorn Thoreau's simple lakeside life.
So Thoreau wrote: "The sun, wind and rain, summer and winter, the indescribable purity and elegance of nature, they always provide so much health and so much joy!" "
Thoreau, with a grateful heart for nature, threw himself into the embrace of nature, integrated with nature and felt the joys and sorrows of nature with his heart. Life by the lake is short and hurried, but it is also full and happy.
Through two years and two months of lakeside life, Thoreau proved to the world that as long as we meet the basic needs of material life such as food, clothing, housing and transportation, pay attention to the demands of self-mind, get close to nature and constantly improve spiritual pursuit, we can get spiritual freedom and satisfaction, experience real happiness and understand the true meaning of life.
In Thoreau's view, everything in nature has spirituality, life and personality. Not only flying insects, birds and animals, but also the ice cracks in Walden Lake are full of humanistic atmosphere. Nature is the mother of human beings, and all the life of animals and plants is parasitic on this great living body.
Nature is the mother of mankind, endowing mankind with infinite precious wealth and providing mankind with endless joy. Nature is charitable, and human beings should be full of gratitude and awe for nature, and full of sympathy and love for all kinds of life. Therefore, Thoreau believes that people should be close to nature, love nature, come from nature, go to nature and be "natural residents".
Thoreau also believes that all natural things are interrelated and interdependent, and human beings are also a part of the connection. Animals, plants, rocks and rivers all have the right to live and develop freely. This is Thoreau's spiritual feeling when he lived by Walden Lake, and it is also his way to get along with nature, which is exactly the philosophy he learned after living by Walden Lake for more than two years.