Thoreau's Utopia

Henry David Thoreau was one of the most important transcendentalist writers of the mid-19^th Century. He, like some of his collegues (Emerson, Fuller, et al), essentially abandoned modern American society to form their own working, “utopian” society. A utopian society is one that is perfect in every aspect. Most view attempts at creating a utopia as feeble and useless, but Thoreau did not. Maybe Thoreau was unable to create a true utopia, but from Lance Newman’s writings we are able to see that he viewed much of it as a success.Thoreau could not stand the hypocirsy of American government in the mid-19^th Century which is one of the reasons he left it for his own utopia. As well as his sentiments regarding America, Thoreau’s sense and love for Nature was a determining factor in moving on to his utopia.