Where I Lived and What I Lived For Chapter 2 summary.

In Chapter Two, after arguing that his contemporaries live unhealthy, unsatisfying and unpractical lives of excess, Thoreau begins his explanation, in the second chapter of Walden, of how he believes men should live their lives. Based upon his personal experiences, of course, the title of the second chapter, identified by some critics as clichéd, emulates the personal tone that contrasts to the almost academic and theoretical, used in "Economy." It is the first of several paradoxes in style, tone and subject.

Thoreau describes his method of searching for a place to live, to conduct his experiment in leading a simple life. Thoreau presents himself as the wanderer, walking all around the area of where he lived. He avoided ownership of land, going so far as to say he didn't ever want possession of land to burn his fingers. The extremity of the image that possessing land would burn his fingers, "burned" being a relatively brutal term, suggests the degree of revulsion that Thoreau feels for the situation. Then, he admits that despite this dislike of actually material ownership of land, there was a place that called Hollowell Farm that he considered owning; but, seemingly to deflate the contradiction, the hypocrisy of this situation in the context of Thoreau's earlier statement that possession would have "burned" his fingers, he emphasizes the natural qualities of the farm. The "river" as its natural boundary and defense line, the "gray" color, the "ruinous" and "dilapidated" state of the house and fence respectively; Thoreau seems to regard all of these elements as immensely positive.

The chapter describes his discovery of Walden Pond, incorporating into a general description of its location a style that is in many ways reminiscent of the Romantics style and language usage. Thoreau also writes of his sensitivity to the natural environment, which he also personifies in the chapter. He suggests that he transcended time and space to become more closely connected to distant times and places. The simplicity of his life allowed him to feel as though he is with nature, he writes, paralleling his activities in the woods with spiritual activities.

The concluding pages of the chapter feature Thoreau's expansion of his argument that a simple life affords men a certain satisfaction. He thus attempts to show how the society of men can lead simpler lives to gain satisfaction.