The charm of the Indian to me is that he stands free and unconstrained in Nature, is her inhabitant and not her guest, and wears her easily and gracefully. But civilized man has the habits of the house. His house is a prison, in which he finds himself opposed and confined, not sheltered and protected. He walks as if he sustained the roof; he carries his arms as if the walls would fall in and crush him, and his feet remember the cellar beneath. His muscles are never relaxed. It is rare that he overcomes the house, and learns to sit at home in it...it is a great art to saunter. Journal 1841. HDT
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Hello Deb,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to read things about Thoreau via yourself. When I was young I travelled to Concord and walked out to the site of his hut at Walden Pond. It was something of a little pilgrimage. With age my view of Thoreau has mellowed into appreciating him as a really great observer of what was around him and his ability to pass that on in writing. The earlier ideas of emphasising him as the lone person in the woods away from everyone was certainly a bit rich.....he walked home to Mum and Dad's for dinner sometimes (a whole mile!!)
Will look around your blog a bit more...cheers Dennis
Sorry I missed this comment. So true. What I admire most about him are his observations. I always laugh when people say to me he was a unhappy person and a loner, or hermit. Anyone who has read about his life knows this to be so untrue. Thanks for the comment.
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