He stresses that humans do not need the rich foods and luxury items they have been taught to crave. Thoreau advocates for a simple, primarily plant-based diet. Hoping to demonstrate that it is possible to live well with very little money, he provides a painstaking account of everything he spends. Instead of purchasing food, he forages in the woods and grows beans and vegetables. Instead of renting, he builds his own home. Thoreau resists this life by casting aside all unnecessary luxuries. He believes that most men spend their lives in a state of “quiet desperation” (14), numbly toiling away just to pay for their food and homes. He explains that capitalism hypnotizes men into pursuing empty status symbols and fleeting pleasures that remove them from their most natural state. Thoreau worries that working men have surrendered their personal autonomy to the demands of a capitalist society.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |