【正确答案】正确答案：Thoreau"s masterpiece Walden is a great transcendentalist work. As a young man, Thoreau takes a more than usual interest in the natural world. Like his mentor Emerson, but more than him, he sees nature as a genuine restorative , healthy influence on man"s spiritual well-being, and regards it as a symbol of the spirit. In fact, nature has influenced Thoreau in more than one way. First, to Thoreau, nature is the example from which human beings must learn for self-reliance. Nature itself is self-reliant and it never demands things from humans; therefore, the most important thing for men to do with their lives is to be independent and strive to achieve personal spiritual perfection. The fact that Thoreau moved into his little cabin on the day of American independence fully demonstrates his desire to be independent of worldly affairs, just as he wrote, "a man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone". Second, nature gives him the inspiration that men should live as simple as possible. The modern craze for monetary success in the wakening of mechanization and commercialization pushes Thoreau to cry out "Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!" To solve the modern dissatisfaction with one"s life, he prescribes two methods; one may acquire more, or reduce one"s desires. As his living near the pond illustrates, one can become more rejuvenated by choosing the latter choice. Third, spiritual richness is the real wealth and the elevation of one"s soul is the real progress. Any other progress is only an illusion. For example, to most people, the train is a huge technological progress, but to Thoreau, he thinks the train encroaches on the rustic calm and beauty of nature and that it confines people to fixed train schedules and routes.