In Walden, Henry David Thoreau’s tone , his attitude towards the subject, has two aspects. His attitude towards nature was a positive one of respect and amazement. His attitude towards the reader, the general public, or the average citizen changes through the course of the work from pitying to criticizing to reassuring and advising. Thoreau viewed nature as a teacher; he did, after all, journey to Walden pond to “front only the essential facts of …showed first 75 words of 1008 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1008 total…varied more significantly than his attitude towards nature. Thoreau felt nature was a divine presence on Earth. He believed that people could grow closer to this by simplifying their lives. To get this message across Thoreau first told the reader what they couldn’t control, where they were not the ones at fault. He then explained to them the faults that they were responsible for. Finally, he explained to them the possibilities, what could be.