Walden Ch.18 Conclusion

Walden Ch.18 Conclusion

1. Life

   • Thoreau encourages his readers to lead a better life
     • To not lead a limited & boring life
   • A person can lead a fulfilling life with an inward voyage
     • Instead of traveling to exotic places such as Africa, Egypt, or New York
     • A voyage to discover things about yourself & who you are
     • More challenging, exciting, & comes with greater reward & satisfaction

2. Temporary Voyages

   • Thoreau expresses that one discovers nothing by going to exotic places
   • Once a person discovers themselves without such exotic voyages, they can do anything
     • A person can become anything they want to be

3. Thoreau's Main Idea

   • A person must follow themselves & their aspirations
     • “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours” (Thoreau 343)
   • Life should be slow-paced to truly grasp it
     • "live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life" & "live deep and suck out all the marrow of life" (Thoreau 172)