Walden Lesson Plan

What is individual purpose? What is the purpose of an individual? What is the difference? What did Thoreau see as his purpose?

Individual purpose is the reason or goal that drives each individual. The purpose of an individual varies from person to person, though many philosophers and religions have attempted to define it broadly, usually by invoking service to a divine figure. Thoreau's purpose, as stated in Walden, is to find a way to live on his own terms and know that he has lived a conscious and deliberate life.

In Chapter 2, Thoreau says:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I...