『월든』: 콩코드를 중심으로 한 정착과정 탐색

Concord in Walden: Trying to Begin a Settlement Anew

This thesis attempts to read Walden as an in-depth examination of the very beginning of American foundation and its continual influence on the contemporary society putting Henry David Thoreau’s hometown, Concord in the center. Therefore, this paper examines Concord as the basis for the reflection of the forefathers’ achievements and the call for reform needed for the contemporary people. The Corcordian citizens show the multifaceted, complicated, and sometimes even self-contradictory thoughts on its foundation and progress. Thoreau criticizes the negative influences of American forefathers, and makes an experiment in the woods by Walden Pond to start the beginning anew. Walden Pond is appropriate to reflect on the origin of the nation as a borderline of primitivism and civilization. This experiment, however, does not lead to a negation of the whole historical reality or a tragic vision to the contemporary America, but an exposure of ambivalence and dynamics as a descendant of Concord. Thoreau attempts to face the American past in a more complete and whole form by properly evaluating the Concord legacy in Walden.