This paper reviews Walter Benn Michaels? essay "Walden's False Bottoms", which raises issues about Thoreau's book "Walden".
Written in 2002; 1,295 words; 2 sources; MLA; $ 43.95
Paper Summary:
The paper evaluates Michaels? essay which looks closely at the meaning around the image Thoreau offers of searching for the bottom of the pond without knowing for certain if there was a bottom, since many thought the pond to be bottomless: Michaels finds that Thoreau was a bit muddy on the meaning of pond bottoms.This paper states that Michaels says that the idea of Nature for Thoreau excludes humanity, though this also runs counter to what Thoreau often says. The author believes that the analysis offered by Michaels is convoluted: At best, what he finds might be considered an unconscious reflection of the way Thoreau relates to his search for meaning, but it is not an image that really speaks to the reader or that unifies the work around a central theme as Michaels wants it to do.
From the Paper:
"Thoreau begins his account of Walden Pond by noting that he is writing in answer to many people who have questioned him about his two-year stay at Walden Pond which otherwise he would not present as a burden to the reader. Thoreau makes it clear from the beginning that he has learned much about life by his stay at Walden Pond and that he will convey what he has learned to his readers. The life he lived in the woods contrasted sharply with the life he saw other men living in towns, young men who had had the misfortune to inherit farms, houses, cattle, and farming tools. Most men, he says, are too occupied with the cares imposed by such ownership that they have no time to be anything other than machines. What Thoreau sees as necessary is to examine life and see what is the true necessaries and means of life, and doing this shows that human beings may seem to have chosen the life they lead, but in fact have done so only because they honestly believe there is no other choice open to them. Thoreau defines "necessary of life" as what is so important we cannot do without it."
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