Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau went to the woods to live deliberately and focus on life's essential truths, seeking simplicity, self-sufficiency, and freedom from societal demands, inspired by his transcendentalist beliefs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry David Thoreau provides several reasons for going to the woods, including his desire to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and to learn from nature what it had to teach.
In his seminal work, Walden; Or, Life in the Woods, Thoreau emphasizes the importance of simplicity, self-sufficiency, and independence from societal expectations.
He constructed his own dwelling and grew his own food to maintain a minimalist lifestyle, focusing on the essentials and living similarly to the animals, unburdened by societal demands or material possessions.
Thoreau believed this existence allowed for a freer mindset, unhindered by the complexities and dependencies of a conventional life in the society of his time.