THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU
by Walter Harding
published: 1965
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'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' by Walter Harding is as fine a biography as I have ever read.
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On August 8, 1984-- my twenty-fifth birthday -- my very good friend, Marty Brumer, gave me the tome 'WORKS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU'. I had no way of knowing at the time that Thoreau would become one of my very favorite writers, nor that Marty (just beginning to establish a career as an actor in Hollywood) would be killed 5 years later when a man in a stolen car, trying to elude the police, would run a red light at high speed and collide with my friend's Volvo in the intersection. In a way, Marty still lives through my interest in Thoreau, which he played a significant role in establishing.
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In the Introduction to my copy of Thoreau's collected works, editor Lily Owens writes, "Thoreau was not a naturally political man. He was essentially an individualist and moralist. What he wanted most from government (and from most people) was to be left alone. Thus, few can embrace his philosophy whole." I'm hardly a naturalist; my interest in Thoreau originates from his wry observations about human nature, his passion for self-reliance, his Transcendentalist ideals & ethics, and his "plea that each follow his own inner light." And because there is so much "Thoreau" in me, I probably come as close as one can to embracing "his philosophy whole."
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I acquired Walter Harding's, 'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' in preparation for my Summer vacation (from which I've just returned) that took me to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the country's birthplace), and Concord, Massachusetts (site of "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" -- the first battle for American self-determination -- and Thoreau's beloved hometown with its Walden Pond, the body of water he made so famous).
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But I read the book with some trepidation: biographies have not always been kind to my heroes. I always felt that Samuel Clemens was THE genius of letters, but unfortunately, I learned through a highly esteemed biography that the man had a materialistic bent which disappointed me. I felt that Andrew Jackson was arguably our last truly principled and heroic president, primarily because of his courageous and righteous battle with America's third central bank. ("You are a den of vipers! I intend to rout you out and by the Eternal God, I will rout you out!" Jackson thundered at Nicholas Biddle and the other supporters of the dictatorial Bank of the United States. And rout them out he did. That's the stuff legends are made of!) But a biography made me too aware of Jackson's many character flaws. I half regretted having read it.
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And so I wondered if perhaps I'd be better off knowing Thoreau only through his own written words; remaining blissfully ignorant of the details of his life. But I took a chance and read Walter Harding's extensive examination of the life of Henry David Thoreau, only to find that my misgivings were unfounded.
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Harding paints a very balanced portrait of Thoreau, the writer / naturalist / abolitionist, showing why some contemporaries found him insufferable while to others he was an inspiring leader, known to be fully committed to his high vision and avowed way of life. What I most appreciated was how Harding was able to remove himself from the picture and simply state the facts and the opinions of those who knew the man, allowing each reader to extrapolate what he or she will, and arrive at their own conclusions. Too often, the biographer can't resist trying to psychoanalyze their subject, meddling in the mind and seeking to unveil cloaked motivations and read into the most insignificant details, grandiose theories and subconscious meanings. Like a good detective, Harding sticks to the facts and lets the story tell itself. Along the way, the reader is treated to a lot of very interesting information. For example:
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* How appropriate that one of America's most influential writers should have revolutionized the pencil-making process in America while working for his family's pencil production company.
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* It was Thoreau's friend, Ellery Channing, writing from New York City who proposed the idea that the naturalist build himself a hut to live in at the shore of Walden Pond.
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* Evidently Thoreau was far from a natural carpenter: when his Walden house foundation was excavated a century later, hundreds of bent, antique nails were found discarded in the cellar hole.
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* In adding raisins to his dough before baking it, Henry invented raisin bread; the Concord housewives were shocked at the idea.
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* The abolitionist, Thoreau, was a regular conductor on the Underground Railroad and his Walden Pond cabin was used as a station on a couple of occasions.
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* True to his own solitary ways, Thoreau was more fond of the independent and aloof cat than of the loyal, but sociable dog.
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When Thoreau was very ill and dying, it was a touching scene to read of his friends and neighbors flocking to his bedside to say their "goodbyes". Greatly moved by the genuine outpouring of their affections, he commented that had he known, he wouldn't have remained so standoffish.
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All in all, 'THE DAYS OF HENRY THOREAU' by Walter Harding is a prime example of the biographer's art. It will be enjoyed by anyone who wants to learn about: the nativity of the conservation movement; the life of a naturalist; one of the founders of the Nineteenth Century Transcendentalist movement; and one of America's foremost men of letters and philosophy. I highly recommend it!
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Hey! Whaddaya know?
I read the biography
And I STILL like Thoreau!
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"Man flows at once to God when the channel of purity is open...
He is blessed who is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day, and the divine being established."
~ Henry David Thoreau
'WALDEN'; chapter XI
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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