"Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself. I have been as sincere a worshipper of Aurora as the Greeks. I got up early and bathed in the pond; that was a religious exercise, and one of the best things which I did. They say that characters were engraven on the bathing tub of King Tching-thang to this effect: "Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again." I can understand that. Morning brings back the heroic ages. I was as much affected by the faint burn of a mosquito making its invisible and unimaginable tour through my apartment at earliest dawn, when I was sailing with door and windows open, as I could be by any trumpet that ever sang of fame. It was Homer's requiem; itself an Iliad and Odyssey in the air, singing its own wrath and wanderings. There was something cosmical about it; a standing advertisement, till forbidden, of the everlasting vigor and fertility of the world. The morning, which is the most memorable season of the day, is the awakening hour."
Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Walden’ is a classic example of the communion with nature which man so earnestly wishes to have for himself but which so often eludes him. Thoreau’s descriptive statement here is a celebration of life in the best sense of the word. His background as a literary fanatic is revealed here, he studied the great Greek works of literature such as Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ and describes his experiences in that vein which is very moving and quite ravishingly eloquent.
Thoreau’s transcendentalism is clearly revealed in the way he describes renewal. For him the morning is a way to be in touch with one’s maker and to start afresh on a new passage in life and to explore greater things. The sound of the mosquito is also exquisitely described as Homer’s Requiem for it brought his mind into sensitive communion with nature although the comparison to a mosquito is something which may not always seem as direct as one could imagine.
The spirit of morning demonstrates Thoreau’s communion with nature which was the whole idea of the Walden Trek. This adventure had already been predestined during the trip down the McCormack and Concord rivers together with Henry’s brother John in 1839 where they discovered several intriguing natural interests and sowed the seed of nature writing which was to become so important for Henry. In fact there is a sense of deja vu in these words which we may also find in the publication; ‘A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers’ which was published in 1849.
This excerpt reminds me principally of the poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson who was coincidentally one of the most important Transcendentalist poets of the age and who also settled in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau evidently found a father figure in Emerson who also assisted him to find an eloquent voice which was also accorded with his inner feelings and which showed a concern for individual vision as well as the awareness of nature which would be an alternative to reason in tackling the great problems of life.
Thoreau was also concerned on the ever growing commercialism and materialism which was infecting society in that age. This could also be seen as a parallel with what is happening today with materialism infiltrated in almost every sector of our lives and causing all forms of consternation and depression. The passage takes one back to his roots in the simple observance of a small mosquito in the morning. Thoreau’s decision to live alone in the Walden Pond area which was owned by Emerson was certainly an interesting path to take when confronted with social and moral issues. Thoreau built himself a small cabin and spent his time communing with nature while also eating the food that he grew himself. This combination of living in nature with all of his senses alert and with a great background in classical literature as well as philosophy was ideal to produce the work which has remained one of the best loved in philosophical transcendentalist literature.
This excerpt from Walden reminds me of some important literary pieces especially those by Edgar Allen Poe. Although the comparison may be farfetched, the style of writing is quite similar to Poe’s ‘The Black Cat’. The Black Cat uses a strategy to create tension with the narrator telling a story. The descent into violence and alcoholism is part of the story and there is also considerable tension in the part leading to the narrative when the cat begins to act strangely and the narrator gouges out the animal’s eyes. The part which leads to the hanging of the cat is particularly powerful as here we are observing the inner savagery of man. The night is also an important part of the strategy of tension especially when the house catches fire and all is laid waste. The sense of impending doom and inevitability of the story works upon our imagination and here we can observe the technique of repetition as well as the symbolism created by the animal.
Another strategy used by Poe is the use of visual imagery to create terror. This is an essential part of the story of the Black Cat. The replacing of the murdered cat with another also gives rise to terrible hallucinations and here we have incredible tension as the narrator is being made to face his impending doom. Here one can observe similarities to Poe’s own drunken stupor when he had to face the bottle so the story could be said to have emanated from these types of hallucinations. Although Poe’s hallucinations are negative, the comparison with the Walden excerpt is a just one since Thoreau was also given to musings about a mosquito which may also seem to be slightly on the hallucinatory side.
Thoreau’s association with the abolition of slavery may not be present in this excerpt but his understanding of nature undoubtedly made him much more appreciative of the question of slavery which he viewed as a denial of God and freedom. This is what appears to be the central question of this narrative.
Works Cited:
Thoreau H D; "Walden CH.2 Where I lived and What I Lived For”, 1849, Print
