With all of the false necessities of life, which we try to acquire through never-ending labor; Thoreau clues us in on the four necessities truly needed to live a wholesome lifestyle. He states, "The necessaries of life for man in this climate may, accurately enough, be distributed under several heads of food, shelter, clothing and fuel" (Thoreau 13). These four needs are the key components to what Thoreau's experiment at Walden was all about. He makes it known that in civilized life it is hard to maintain the true meaning and simplicity of these necessities due to societies rapid progression towards the future and away from our (Walden).
One of the major contributing factors as to why Thoreau abandons society to live on Walden Pond was to escape the so-called luxuries of life. Thoreau views these "luxuries" as disposable and not necessary but also as obstructions of the true simplicity of life (Walden). Thoreau proposes that in order to live a fulfilling and wholesome life one must rid themselves of theses restraints that tie us down to society. Many times throughout "Economy" Thoreau refers to several great philosophers stating "The ancient philosopher, Chinese, Hindu, Persian, and Greek, were a class than which none has been poorer in out-ward rich's, none so rich inward" (Thoreau 15). Through this he is stating that the true luxuries and wealth of life are not so much in the form of material things but are gained through living simply and disregarding most man made necessities. He doesn't mean that we should completely give up everything we own but more of the false necessities that we use excessive labor to obtain. .
In order for Thoreau to successfully persuade his audience into listening to his incite he uses strong rhetorical and literary devices. Late in the chapter Thoreau indentifies his audience as poor, middle class, labor-intensive citizens (Walden).
