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Tressa Parkes

Writing 2010

Brenda McKenna

25 April 2018

The World Around and the Discovery Within

In nearly every piece of literature authors use creative devices to portray a broader

meaning to their readers. In Henry David Thoreau’s Walking there a so many ways these are

used in the pursuit of creating something that means more to the work as a whole. Throughout

Walking Thoreau uses nature, specifically the Earth, Sky, Moon, and Sun to portray the more

expansive ideas of the body, mind, soul, and spirit in the pursuit of discovering self as something

bigger than imagined.

Throughout Walking, the Earth, Sky, Moon, and Sun, are gendered to show that nature is

more than what is seen on the surface. Thoreau clearly genders the sun when he writes that

“Every sunset which I witness inspires me… he appears to migrate westward daily to tempt us to

follow him” (Thoreau 9). A writer as intricate and thoughtful as Thoreau wouldn’t gender the

Sun just because he could. The gendering of the Sun doesn’t just relate back to the idea that

nature is something bigger than imagined, it also leads to personification of nature. This

personification makes it so that Thoreau can now relate the Earth, Sky, Moon, and Sun to

humans themselves. He genders nature again when he writes, “Nature has not only outlined her

works on a larger scale, but has painted the whole picture” (Thoreau 10). It isn’t uncommon to

hear of Earth (or nature) being referred to as Mother Earth, and Thoreau is reinforces this idea by

gendering nature. Along with this, Thoreau brings in the ideas that Nature is so vast, and so
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much more than it seems on the surface. Nature is a mystery being unraveled every day by those

that take the plunge into discovery. And here, Thoreau begins to hint that the personified, vast

world around humankind is not only around humans, but also within them.

The gendering and personification of these elements hints not only at the ability of

discovery, but also gives direction to this discovery. The statements of Mother Earth root from

Native American culture where there is also a Father Sky, Grandfather Sun, and Grandmother

Moon. Through deeper analysis Earth, Sky, Sun, and Moon become even more than they seem.

In Native American culture there is a value of a compass shape where North is Father Sky, East

is Mother Earth, South is Grandfather Sun, and West is Grandmother Moon. These then connect

evern further and deeper meaning of North (sky) relating to the mind, East (earth) relating to the

body, South (Sun) relating to the spirit, and West (moon) relating to the soul. There is reason to

believe that Thoreau knew of this as he was knowledgeable and respectful of Native Americans

“...beheld the Indians moving west…” (Thoreau 11). Not only does Thoreau speak Native

Americans but he speaks of them in a positive light in which they are moving west, toward the

soul, in the direction Thoreau speaks the most fondly of. “Beheld” is the past tense of “Behold,”

which means “to gaze upon” (Merriam-Webster). It is also used “especially to call attention”

(Merriam- Webster). By using the word “Beheld” Thoreau implies that he looked upon Native

Americans in a positive light, and he wanted to call attention to them and their culture.

The west is the place in which Thoreau walks towards, its the place in which the soul is

grown and the self is discovered. Thoreau doesn’t deny the challenge of self discovery, he

completely accepts it and even states that “...sometimes, no doubt, we find it difficult to choose

our direction, because it does not yet exist distinctly in our idea” (Thoreau 8). He speaks of a

difficulty in choosing which direction to go, a difficulty in taking the step to discover yourself.
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The point made about not having a distinct direction in mind ties to the idea that Nature helps to

lead in self discovery. It is hard to just know where to go and what to aim for if there isn’t a clear

idea of all the possibilities. And Thoreau makes it seem that all these possibilities don't need to

be known and that “ There is a subtitle magnetism in Nature, which, if unconsciously yield to it,

will direct us aright” (8). The challenges of self discovery, of knowing where to go and how to

get there are, in Thoreau’s mind, directed by the powers of nature. Unconscious is defined as

“free from self-awareness” (Merriam-Webster), and though that may seem counterintuitive it

brings up a message from Thoreau. To truly discover oneself, a person must not force discovery

upon themselves, rather be guided throughout their journey, and with each step discover

something more. Nature guides humans in the pursuit their most undiscovered self, and when

nature guides Thoreau writes that, “I finally and inevitably settle south- west” (8). Nature has

guided Thoreau to wander towards the discovery of what may be when the spirit and soul meet.

This is a state of discovery that often can't just be happened upon, which is why the guidance of

nature plays such a key role. Thoreau believes that to truly discover oneself they must let go, be

guided on an adventure, and through that adventure delve into the connection between the spirit

and the soul. And then the discovery of an individual's inner-workings can be made.

The walking that Thoreau does guides him towards new discoveries in which he urges

humankind to discover in themselves. He urges people by telling them that “...I have discovered

new mountains in the horizon which I had never seen before…” (Thoreau 22). These mountains

are symbols of powers inside of people. Thoreau has discovered not only the beauties of the

surrounding world, but discovered the power and strength within a person. These mountains ant

be discovered without wandering, can't be discovered without curiosity, and can't be discovered

without the help of discovering the world surrounding humanity. Then and only then can the
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comparison be made to all the undiscovered beauty within a person, that relates to the

undiscovered beauty in Nature. Thoreau can compare human kind to nature herself, “Nature is a

personality so vast and universal that we have never seen one of her features” (Thoreau 21). He

is telling people that there is so much within themselves that they don't understand yet, so much

they have to learn. Thoreau wants people to take time out of their busy lives to walk and discover

the vastness of the world, the vastness within themselves. When thought about how large nature

is it seems impossible that any one person would know every in and out, except nature herself.

And when thought about a person's life, the experiences they’ve had, the people they’ve met,

every moment that has defined them, it seems impossible that any one person would know it all,

except for the person that lived it all. Walking is a way for Thoreau to tell people of the

importance in learning about themselves all while learning about the world around them. Taking

the time to live and create experiences that shape who they become, and thriving to learn about

their importance and effect. He tells people that “... we cannot afford to not live in the present”

(Thoreau 22). For if humankind lives in the past they may lose track of what they may become.

But if the focus is on what they may become they will lose who they are.

Thoreau’s walking can be interpreted in many ways, but by following the importance of

gendering the wilderness, intricacies in self discovery can be found. The connections between

the Sun and the spirit, the moon and the soul, the sky and the mind, and the earth and body, all

connecting to south, west, north, and east give way to values that could go unnoticed. Yes

Thoreau’s walking can be about many things, but the importance of his subtle hints of self

discovery in the process of discovering the world around humankind shows the power Thoreau

desires humankind to have.

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Works Cited

Thoreau, Henry David. Walking. Class Handout.

“Unconscious.” Def.2b. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam Webster, April 2018. Web. 24

April. 2018.

“Behold.” Def.2. Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam Webster, Web. 24 April. 2018.