Summary
In the excerpt from Walden, Henry David Thoreau recounts several places he considered living before
settling on Walden Pond, where he has decided to "live free and uncommitted." Thoreau considers his
cabin, though incomplete, to be a paradise in which he is free of time and social constraints. After living
there for several seasons, Thoreau decides to leave Walden, having realized that he has other lives to
live.
Quickwrite:
Why might a person live alone and away from the world? What are the advantages or disadvantages of
this choice? How would you "live simply" if you so desired? Explain.
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