Walden Ch.11 Higher Laws

Walden Ch.11 Higher Laws

1. Fulfillment & Purity

   • Thoreau is dedicated to vegetarianism due to his principle of purity
   • Consuming food such as meat or fish is unclean
     • For this reason, Thoreau also doesn't consume certain beverages
   • Thoreau must battle off the primitive desire for meat

2. Desires

   • Thoreau suddenly desires meat as he sees a woodchuck
     • This desire does not coincide with the divinity of nature
   • Thoreau likes to eat like a majority of humans
   • Thoreau worries about his liking of food becoming too much

3. Primitive Instincts vs. Spiritual Perfection

   • Thoreau has not ended this conflict
     • Giving in to these instincts ruins spiritual perfection
     • Every human has this sort of nature in them