Thought Piece

Thought Piece

"I found in myself, and still find, an instinct toward a higher, or, as it is named, spiritual life, as do most men, and another toward a primitive rank and savage one, and I reverence them both" (143).
In Walden, Thoreau is often dealing with man's relationship with nature. There are moments when he notices a stunning similarity between humans and nature (like when he observes the ants) and he becomes deeply connected to it. But he eventually leaves Walden and suggests that he needs to move forward for the continued development of his soul. How exactly does Thoreau understand the relationship between man and nature, specifically how it affects the spiritual and savage parts of man's soul?
Thoreau frequently addresses the tension between man's spiritual and savage parts of his soul. He talks about how man is naturally drawn towards nature when they are younger, but become more and more separated from it as they age. Certain skills, like hunting, are natural and healthy for men to perform. Yet he also talks about the need for leisure to cultivate ones mind and the need to trust one's genius. He writes that "every man is the builder of a temple, called his body, to the god he worships, after a style purely his own, nor can he get off by hammering marble instead" (150). Thoreau feels that each man is in charge of his own unique, personal development. There is no set handbook for all men to follow in order to sculpt one's body and soul. For him "any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's feature, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them" (151). Men must look inside themselves to find what is noble and avoid what is mean, and this will help them form bodies that can serve as temples for worship.
As he says, "no man ever followed his genius till it misled him" (147). Trust one's instincts and parts of the soul, and one will begin to develop.
Thoreau concludes the section "Higher Laws" with a discussion of John Farmer. Farmer never attended to some of his higher faculties until he heard a flute playing. The sound of the flute awoke parts of him that had been in a slumber, and he began to question why he was living where he was and doing what he was doing. He asks himself "why do you stay here and live this mean moiling life, when a glorious existence is possible for you?" (151). Thoreau uses this story to create an example for his idea of internal progress through the relationship between the savage and spirit parts of the self. The flute, symbolizing nature, awakens a part of the soul that men have repressed and pushed away. It is a natural, passionate experience accessible to all men if they allow it. This emotional realization then allows men to question the wider world around them and the way they have been living, and begin to live fuller lives. The flute accesses the savage part of the man, and this awakening in the savage part of the soul then helps the spiritual part truly develop.
Thoreau feels that is important for the savage part of men to be awoken, and this can only happen through experiences in nature. This purification through nature then allows the higher, more spiritual part of man to then develop. Basic elements in nature help man look toward the larger issues in his spirit and allow him to begin living fully. The savage and spirit parts of the soul may seem to be in contrast, but Thoreau sees them in a compatible and necessary relationship that helps guide men to live truly prosperous lives.
Word Count- 580