Critique of Civilization and Materialism

Where it surfaces

• Economy

  He criticizes his townsmen for doing penance in their daily lives, inheriting farms and possessions that enslave them, and contrasts this with the freedom of a primitive life.

• Where I Lived, and What I Lived For

  Thoreau condemns the nation's obsession with commerce, railroads, and luxury, describing it as 'ruined by luxury and heedless expense.'

• Sounds

  Thoreau contrasts his simple, nature-filled life with the restless city merchants and the 'dull and out-of-the-way' places that lack even a train whistle, critiquing society's need for constant amusement.

• Solitude

  Thoreau criticizes society as 'too cheap' and argues that frequent social interactions diminish respect, contrasting the artificiality of human gatherings with the genuine companionship of nature.

• Visitors

  He criticizes restless, committed townspeople and reformers who are preoccupied with getting a living and maintaining appearances.

• The Bean-Field

  He criticizes farmers who pursue large crops for profit, sacrificing the sacredness of husbandry to avarice.

• The Village

  Thoreau criticizes the village's institutions and the state's authority, contrasting them with the freedom and simplicity of his life in the woods.

• Baker Farm

  Thoreau criticizes the pursuit of tea, coffee, and meat as false gains of America, and the state's role in perpetuating slavery and war through such consumption.

• Higher Laws

  Thoreau criticizes the grossness of conventional diets and the slothful, sensual habits of civilized life, contrasting them with a simpler, more spiritual existence.

• House-Warming

  Contrasts his simple, open dwelling with modern houses that compartmentalize and isolate inhabitants.

• Former Inhabitants and Winter Visitors

  Thoreau contrasts the simple, self-sufficient lives of former inhabitants like Cato and Brister with the encroaching materialism of speculators and modern society.

• Winter Animals

  Thoreau contrasts the freedom of wild animals with the confinement of villagers to their streets, and questions whether civilization exists among brutes.

• The Pond in Winter

  The ice-cutters' commercial harvesting is portrayed as a greedy stripping of nature's coat, contrasting with Thoreau's simple, reverent approach.