Walden; However, Life In The Woods is a self-experiment that provides an ideal opportunity to evaluate the author's philosophy. The book is an account of Henry David Thoreau's journey of self-discovery as he attempts to live a life of simplicity and self-reliance in the woods of Massachusetts. His exploration of his two years and two months living in a cabin near Walden Pond is considered a seminal work of early American transcendentalism. Thoreau never explicitly reveals spiritual truth at the end of his journey. Yet a discerning Christian reader can note the major transcendental themes and ideals demonstrated by Thoreau, separating what should be applauded from what should be rejected. Thoreau considers the alienation of humanity to be the fundamental problem of society. In the book's first chapter, "Economics," Thoreau explains that humanity has a few basic needs: food, shelter, fuel, and clothing. Early humans used them as tools for their own survival. But as these needs become institutionalized, man becomes their slave. Thoreau sees society as a corrupting power, forcing "the mass of men [to] lead a life of quiet despair." The expectations of owning a home, wearing fine clothes, and fitting in with the rest of society condemn humanity to a life of constant toil. The end result is a kind of stupor. Millions of men are only awake enough to work. Even fewer are they awake enough to think. Only a few, Thoreau said, are fully awake. According to Thoreau, man has sacrificed his greatest asset, his individuality, for the trinkets and trinkets that civilization offers. Humanity does not realize that it is enslaved by the illusion of progress. Thoreau observes that humanity has built trains that run on a rigid schedule...... middle of paper ... and meditation can repair the irreparable damage of the Fall. God, not man, is the source of both redemption and truth, and rejecting this truth can only end in disaster. Through this account of his spiritual experience and journey, Thoreau demonstrates key transcendentalist themes. Beginning by highlighting the problem of self-alienation, Thoreau expresses the need for a spiritual awakening. Through the search for solitude, simplicity and introspection, his journey leads him to the discovery of the divine in himself and in the world around him. Although his ultimate solution must be rejected by Christians, his frank observations of the human condition are chilling. Walden stands as a magnificent but tragic monument to the phenomenon of American transcendentalism. Works Cited Henry David Thoreau, Walden; Or, Life in the Woods (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1910).