析梭罗《瓦尔登湖》中的道家思想
《瓦尔登湖》是美国作家亨利·戴维·梭罗独居瓦尔登湖的时候写的。这本书描绘了他两年多时间里的所见、所闻和所思。该书崇尚简朴生活，热爱大自然的风光，内容丰厚、语言生动、意境深邃。梭罗在《瓦尔登湖》中虽然从来没提及道家思想，但却处处体现出道家的精神追求，梭罗与老庄对于人类在不同时代，不同文化背景下所面临的相似问题给出了相似的解答。本论文主要从热爱自然、对水这个意象的描写、对简单生活的追求、对统治者的厌恶、以及顺应天性这5个方面分析《瓦尔登湖》中所体现的道家思想。
关键词  梭罗，超验主义，《瓦尔登湖》，道家思想

1  Introduction 1
2  Taoism and Transcendentalism 2
2.1  Similarities Between Taoism and Transcendentalism 2
2.2  Introspection and Doubts 4
2.3  Liberation and Transcendence 4
3  Taoism In Thoreau's Walden 5
3.1  Love for Nature 6
3.2  The Imagery of Water 7
3.3  The Pursuit of Simple Life 7
3.4  The Hatred of the Rulers 9
3.5  The Compliance of Nature 9
Conclusion 11
Acknowledgements 12
References 13

Henry David Thoreau (1817—1862) was a thinker of transcendentalism and writer of America in 19th century. Thoreau occupies a unique position in the history of American literature. During his lifetime, he was regarded as a second-class writer. But today, he is called one of the greatest American writers in the nineteenth century.
When Thoreau was 28 years old, he went to Walden by himself and lived in a small wood house for two years. Walden is a record of Thoreau when he lived in Walden Pond by himself. And this work depicts what he had seen, heard and thought in more than two years. Thoreau stayed far away from hubbubs. He wanted to find a true condition of living and to find a poetic life in the nature. Thoreau opened up a wasteland for cultivation near the cabins for self-sufficient. Thoreau is a son of nature. He respected nature, made friends with nature, talked with lakes, forests and birds, observed animals and plants in the forest, he played the flute on board, and fished in the lake. In the evening, he recorded his observation and reflection down in his log cabin. He pursued a spiritual life and concerned about the growth of the soul. Thoreau uses his actual actions to tell us: “Most luxuries that people seek, and most of the so-called comforts of life are not only unnecessary, but also greatly hinder the progress of mankind.”(Thoreau，2011:18)
The simple and plain life brought Thoreau the joy from the bequests of the nature. Meanwhile, he concentrated on the enlightenment which the nature brought to the human being. Thoreau is a representative of transcendentalism, and he thinks that the nature has a luxuriant symbolic significance. Just as it is shown in his works, he devotes a lot of space to praise the beautiful sightseeing and to express his aesthetic experiences he got from the harmonious coexistence with the nature in Walden Pond.
In Thoreau’s era, Chinese culture just appeared in the libraries of Europe and the United States. And Thoreau is the first person to absorb Chinese culture. Chinese scholar Guo Jianliang points out the similarities between Thoreau and Taoism, fully showing that the philosopher is influenced by Taoist. When Thoreau was 21 years old, his diary reflected Chinese culture for the first time. And his passion for oriental wisdom increased with time.
In 1843, his extract translation version of China’s The Four Books appeared on the literary journal for the first time. His most popular works, Walden, uses a large number of references of traditional Chinese culture. Thoreau spent a lot of time reading traditional Chinese literature, and personally practiced to understand the spirit of these books. From 1845 to 1847, he lived in Walden. This seclusion life makes him understand the Chinese culture and the idea of the harmony between the heaven and human more.
This paper analyzes Taoism in Thoreau’s Walden. In spite of obvious differences between Thoreau and Taoism, there is a certain connection between them. Actually, this kind of connection is based on the differences between western and Chinese ideas. Since the works and documents related to Taoism are limited, this paper mainly discusses Taoism in Walden from the following aspects : love for nature, the imagery of water, the pursuit of simple life, the hatred of the rulers and the compliance of nature.
原文链接：http://www.jxszl.com/wgy/yy/27362.html