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The Serene Depths

In: English and Literature

Submitted By hotdogwater
Words 890
Pages 4
Paper #2-Walden
American Lit. I
15 November 2005
The Serene Depths In Henry David Thoreau’s narrative, “Walden, or Life in the Woods,” the author tells of what his life was like while he lived in the woods of Massachusetts, beside Walden Pond. Among his many descriptions, Thoreau devotes a large portion of his writing to recreating Walden Pond in the reader’s mind, partly to create the setting for his story, but also because he felt genuine awe and love for his surroundings, and he wished to convey that love to others. Chapter nine of “Walden” is aptly titled, “The Ponds,” and in this chapter, Thoreau describes not only Walden Pond, but also some of the other ponds that are in the area where he lived for more than two years. He writes extensively about “the ribbed bottom [of the pond], which was strewn with the wrecks of the forest” (Thoreau, 1899), and waxes poetic about the mysterious depths of Walden Pond. One of the aspects of Walden Pond that he strives to impress on the reader is the sheer depth of the water. Throughout the chapter, and in later chapters as well, he describes a seemingly bottomless lake that is nearly mystical in its appearance. Later in the book, Thoreau reveals how deep the lake actually is, according to his calculations, but in Chapter 9, he does not go into the reality. Instead, he paints a picture of a magical place that has no beginning and no end. This is effective because it reminds the reader of the greatness of the earth compared to the feebleness of man. This comparison furthers illustrates Thoreau’s belief in the divinity of nature, a cornerstone of the transcendentalism movement. In another part of “Walden,” Thoreau describes the color of Walden Pond: “It is a vitreous greenish blue.” He then compares this color to that of a large piece of glass: “It is well known that a large plate of glass will have a green

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