When you type “walden-genre?” » in a search engine, the calculated guess reveals wonders; "The best guess for Walden-Genre is autobiography, philosophy, fiction, nature". Walden is less a novel than a story of an unusual and fulfilling college life. Above all, its didactic tone sets out Thoureau's point of view better than any outright manifesto ever could. The transcendental vision most emphasized in the book is the harmony of nature with human worldviews. Walden emphasizes nature's ability to transform and transmit wisdom and spirituality, as does his writer. Walden views nature as divine and asserts that man can most easily see true divinity through nature itself. “Talk about heaven!” Shame on the earth” (Thoureau 207). Thoureau treats nature as if it were a religion and subtly implies its importance compared to conventional religious practices which do not have as much effect on the immediate world. Although he often used Christian symbolism, the religion he created was closer to Asian religions, mentioning Brahman in "Economy" early on. He often refers to Confucius and Mencius as references, as opposed to any Western wisdom figures from his Harvard education. Like other Asian religions, nature rejects materialistic attitudes. This is clearly seen when the Irish Icemen from Cambridge come to harvest ice from Walden Pond in winter (Thoreau 331). To the villagers, ice is the most tangible material resource available in the pond, but to Thoreau, it is far from the most important. Society is not only destroying nature, it is also trying to remove the blessings of divinity. This suggests Thoreau's view that the majority of people's relationships with the Church are focused on societal benefits, which are tangible, instead of...... middle of paper ...... I never been bor-rrr-rn! » (Thoreau 117). Its unequal respect for men and beasts is indicative of a religion that still needs to be reworked and adapted to the central characters - for an individual it may work, but for a society a religion that cannot account for people with the gaze that she grants them. other animals will almost certainly fail. Walden represents a nature religion not yet fully formed. While Thoreau attempts to immerse himself in poverty, he becomes ineffective when he is hypocritical. Contradictions aside, Thoreau emphasizes the beauty of nature that less observant people miss. With observant eyes, Thoreau captures the parallels between man and beast that can inspire, if not divinity, at least more humanity in observing nature. Works Cited Thoreau, Henry David and Henry David Thoreau. Walden; And civil disobedience. New York: Penguin, 1983. Print.