1. Why do you believe the essay "Economy" is the longest chapter in Walden?

2. What does Thoreau aim to accomplish at Walden Pond?

3. Do you prefer the sections of the book dedicated to Transcendentalist philosophy or those where Thoreau describes the living creatures around his cabin? Is his idealism ever entirely absent in the book?

4. What type of reading material does Thoreau recommend? Why does he have a disdain for newspapers?

5. Thoreau extols solitude but claims he is not a hermit. Is this a contradiction?

6. What notable event in Thoreau's life is briefly referenced in the concluding paragraph of "The Village"?

7. Why are the descriptions in "The Ponds" so detailed? What symbolic significance do they hold for Thoreau?

8. What is a paradox? Does Thoreau effectively utilize paradoxes in Walden?

9. In his accounts of the different seasons at Walden, which season does Thoreau seem to favor? Why?