Throughout all the significant moments in the life of Henry David Thoreau, his experiences at Walden were the most influential.

Walden was the home for Thoreau for over a year; excluded from society and left with nature and the solitude of his mind. Thoreau lived in the only cabin at Walden Pond for a year, in which time he was writing a social critique on society and his observations. He named his social critique Walden, simply the name of the pond where he was able to reflect on his observations (Thoreau biography 3). Living in solitude at Walden Pond helped Thoreau become one with nature. He was able to let loose reality and truly reflect to the absolute fullest without any interference. Being away from society and the people that make it up, Thoreau could look at society from the other side of the glass. He experienced society first hand with interaction, now he was able to look at society and be above everything and everyone looking down and simply observing and reflecting (Walden 7).

Thoreau was greatly inspired by the surroundings and by the mind set he was able to grasp during his vacation to Walden. Thoreau was a transcendentalist and could find the beauty in nature and find answers in it as well. Being a transcendentalist, Thoreau was able to find the answers to his writing in his surroundings. Thoreau would always write on social matters, for example his critique, Civil Disobedience, and this was just another critique (Thoreau biography13). Thoreau had lived for quite some time before journeying out to Walden Pond and was able to write about a lifetime amount of human behavior and observation. An example from Walden is “I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of” (www.Kenkifer.com). Walden was Thoreau’s single greatest accomplishment, enlightening everyone to society and his views through the looking glass. Being at Walden Pond was such the grand experience that it was able to free Thoreau’s mind and provide him as much thought as he needed to write Walden (Thoreau analysis 2).

Going out to Walden gave Thoreau many positive experiences. He could experience true freedom, the desire of every man in society. Thoreau was able to experience the purity in nature when he called Walden Pond his home (Walden 16). By being able to escape the harsh realities, Thoreau was able to obtain inner peace and tranquility. A quote from Thoreau about reality and being at Walden was that he could live a “non-fool’s life” (Henry David Thoreau life 1).

Coming back to society from being at Walden Pond for over a year, Thoreau was able to compare his writings to that of what society is like by sight and not from memory. Thoreau was able to see if there was truth in what he wrote and if what he wrote could be taken as a false statement (Thoreau analysis 6). Thoreau could also make corrections to his critique if he needed to do so. Thoreau wrote Walden to show others society from his view point and now returning to where he had left, he was able to see life like everyone else did. Upon returning to society, Thoreau could socialize again and discuss his viewpoints with those of others and learn even more on society and human behavior (Thoreau analysis 7).
Thoreau had his greatest inspiration and influence from his time at Walden. Walden was the accomplishment that made Thoreau the greatest writer of all time. Thoreau is most well known for his time spent at Walden (Thoreau biography pg. 29 4). A book that makes everyone stop and think about the society we know today and look at it through someone else’s eyes. From Thoreau being able to fully concentrate incessantly, he was able to write one of the greatest social critiques ever to be published. Thoreau grasped his greatest accomplishment from his most influential experience (Thoreau analysis 17).
Thoreau’s experiences at Walden were of the greatest. They influenced his writings more than any other experience (Thoreau biography 13). Thoreau was able to escape reality and free his mind in order to fully grasp the goal which was to reflect on society (Walden Economy part B). He was able to become one with nature and without any interruption write the greatest social critique ever (Thoreau analysis 3).