Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life? First, I would like to tell you who Thoreau was. Thoreau’s full name was Henry David Thoreau. According to Google, “Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, philosopher, and a leading transcendentalist.” “As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).” He is most known for his autobiography entitled “Walden”. It tells of his life living on Walden Pond. In his autobiography he wrote “I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.” He also wrote his purpose for going to live at Walden Pond. He wrote “My purpose in going to Walden Pond was not to live cheaply nor to live dearly there, but to transact some private business with the fewest obstacles; to be hindered from accomplishing which for want of a little common sense, a little enterprise and business talent, appeared not so sad as foolish.” He also said “I have thought that Walden Pond would be a good place for business, not solely on account of the railroad and the ice trade; it offers advantages which it may not be good policy to divulge; it is a good port and a good foundation.”

So, back to the question, Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life? Well, I think that the answer is no. Why? Well, let me tell you why. Thoreau’s autobiography is about his life as an adult, as a workman, and his life on Walden Pond. There would be no need to add anything about his background. If he did than that would just make the story boring. It would make no sense to put in extra details that do not go with the story.

Also, the question, Would Walden have been a better book if Thoreau had supplied more background information on his life, also means the answer yes. Why? Again, let me tell you why. First, the autobiography begins with “When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again.” It would make a lot more sense if he began telling the story as a brief summary of his childhood and what he did before he went to live on Walden Pond.