Living a life of solitude on the shores of Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau, author of the philosophical work Walden, illustrates his firm beliefs in transcendentalism, an 18th century philosophical and literary movement emphasizing the spiritual over the material. Along with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau helped to stimulate the spread of this philosophy across America. Thoreau's inherent belief in transcendentalism greatly accounts for his adamant views on the wisdom and divinity of nature and the significance of self-reliance in the individual.

Reflecting the ideas of transcendentalism, Thoreau believes that man fulfills his search for knowledge of the world and of himself when he communicates with nature. Transcendentalism explains that nature will teach truth and wisdom to those who listen and respect her and that every part of nature has a piece of the divine in it. To learn of the world, man must respect nature...