Beginning of Essay
Henry David Thoreau's Quest for Reformation While strolling through the forests near Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau stumbled across a man and his family. The father, John Field had moved to America from Ireland with his wife and his son in order to "improve [the ....

Middle of Essay
.... a ruin as [John's] commonly amounts to" (Walden, 140). Thoreau almost makes the identical argument, (although Thoreau is not really "arguing", he is documenting the costs of his house) and explains that having a shelter that is practical yet functional is an essential step to simplifying one's life, which in turn is an essential step in the process of becoming deified and enlightened. In more detail Thoreau mentions, " [that] the necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough be distributed under the several heads of FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, and FUEL" (Walden, 13). Food, one of the several heads mentioned in the statement ab ....