Published in 1854 by transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau, Walden depicts Thoreau's experience living an entirely self-sufficient life in a small cabin he built himself by Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau seeks to demonstrate how easy it is to acquire all of life's necessities by living simply and rejecting the rat-race of competing for material possessions. This way of living liberates the individual to pursue what Thoreau believes should be our primary aims in life: personal growth and cultivating a spiritual connection with nature.