“I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to dour all that was not life.”

Thoreau’s rhetorical purpose is for people to realize all the joy they have in their life and how it is important to live life to the fullest. The gift of the world was given to human beings so that we can get everything we can out of life. This broad spectrum can be anything from appreciating all our surroundings to learning new things daily.

“This whole earth which we inhabit is but a point in space. How far apart, think you, dwell the two most distant inhabitants of yonder star, the breadth of whose disk cannot be appreciated by our instruments? Why should I feel lonely? Is not our planet in the Milky Way? This which you put seems to me not to be the most important question. What sort of space is that which separates a man from his fellows and makes him solitary? I have found that no exertion of the legs
can bring two minds much nearer to one another. . . .”

It is important to spend time with others, but there also must be a balance of self-care as well. Thoreau talks about how he has found himself when he is by himself reflecting and questioning society and the universe. People must take in their surroundings and not worry about the great beyond for that moment. Reflection on where an individual is in that time, place, and space is when a person grows as a human being.

“Standing on the snow-covered plain, as if in a pasture amid the hills, I cut my way first through a foot of snow, and then a foot of ice, and open a
window under my feet, where, kneeling to drink, I look down into the quiet parlor of the fishes, pervaded by a softened light as through a window of ground glass”

This shows how in order to understand the world, it must be taken apart piece by piece. It is hard for a person to take a massive leap in faith and understanding. This must happen over a period of time with multiple steps and patience. Learning can also be accomplished by observation and studying the world around you.

“I see how I shall get through the winter without adding to my woodpile, for large fires are no longer necessary. I am on the alert for
the first signs of spring, to hear the chance note of some arriving bird, or the striped squirrel’s chirp, for his stores must be now nearly exhausted, or see the woodchuck venture out of his winter quarters. …”

In hard times in life it can be difficult to see any good. The idea of spring represents how things start to change for a better outcome. Life can be difficult and frustrating, but it is important to see the light at the end of the tunnel and to keep a positive attitude.

“Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling, glorious hours, even in a poorhouse”

Life might not always go they way you want it to, but we must acknowledge everything that happens in our lives. No one else can change how we live except for ourselves. Even in a less fortunate situation, hard work and dedication can get us to where we want to go. We must always look forward in life and to not dwell on the past. Having more material things, does not make a person richer in life.