What advice does Thoreau offer to his fellows about ownership of the property and those who live in poverty?

            Chapter one of Thoreaus
is titled Economy. This title might lead readers to believe that Thoreau
considers systems of wealth / poverty in the chapter. However, Thoreau does not begin with a
discussion of economy. Instead, he foregrounds the chapter with a reflection on the condition
and nature of humankind. In fact, it is not until one-third of the way through the first chapter
that Thoreau even uses the word economy. Here, Thoreau suggests that Economy is a subject
which admits being treated with levity, but cannot so be disposed of. He later posits that
Even the poor student studies and is taught only political
economy, while that economy of living which is synonymous with philosophy is not even
sincerely professed in our colleges. Thus, Thoreau critiques the traditional view of economy as
a capitalist system; he broadens a traditional definition of economy to include the
interconnectedness of all living systems. More specifically, Thoreau concludes that an economy
of living is one which accounts, not for money and wealth, but for the philosophy of being. In
doing this, Thoreau, challenges traditional, conferred authority.

Nineteenth-century Western thought strictly defines economy in monetary terms; to be
considered wealthy was to own property. Thoreau, however, outlines a contrasting perspective,
which is first articulated in his discussion of the nature of human dwellings. In this section,
Thoreau contrasts the state of civilized man with that of the savage. While few civilized men
can afford to own their own dwellings, nearly all native men own their shelter. Thoreau
concludes that even if the farmer owns his house, he may not be the richer but the poorer for
it, and it be the house that has got him. Here, Thoreau illustrates modern societys reliance on
material goods as a method to achieve happiness and greatness. He debunks this mode of thinking
by revealing the need to first improve the men who inhabit [the houses] before remodeling the
physical house itself. Thus, economy extends beyond a traditionally political system. Instead,
Thoreau places value in the moral and spiritual understanding of life systems.

Thoreaus economy deeply involves looking inward to ones own spiritual and moral being.
However, the author recognizes the difficulty of obtaining true economy in civilized life.
Hence, he argues for simplicity. He states, I went to the woods because I wished to live
deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life€¦I wanted to live deep and suck out all
the marrow of life€¦to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms. For Thoreau,
deliberateness is marked by simplicity. In order to be awakened to the goodness of life, one
must abandon superfluous detail and reduce life to the essentials. Certainly, this is one of the
primary reasons Thoreau provides great detail as to the monetary economy of his mode of life at
Walden, specifically outlining his building plans and expenditures. He desires to demonstrate
that riches are not necessarily drawn wealth, but can be obtained more readily in the
simplicities of life.

Unfortunately, Thoreau acknowledges that civilization
is too far removed from the natural world, trapped by luxury and heedless expense, which hinders
the vast majority of humankind from inward improvement. Thoreau suggests that the only cure
for [society] is in a rigid economy, a stern and more than Spartan simplicity of life and
elevation of purpose. Thus, Thoreaus stay at Walden allows him to abandon civilized life, slow
down his mode of living, and essentially reconnect with the economy of the natural world. By
returning to natures economy, Thoreau is able to consider society in new ways that are nearly
impossible when surrounded by the day to day needs of living.