Part 1 of Essay
For about the first half of the book Thoreau questions the lifestyles that people choose. He makes his readers wonder if they have chosen the kind of life that will really offer them happiness. Are they merely living a career or some other narrowly focused routine or is a worthwhile life being lived. Thoreau wonders if ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... his own enjoyment of non-monetary wealth. Thoreau's statement " A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone" means that rich refers to having the opportunity for spiritual and intellectual gains and afford refers to the self-actualization rather than to cash in the bank. Those are just some of the materialistic terms that Thoreau uses to refer to non-materialist values, making fun of the capitalist in the process. Thoreau uses the opportunity of the first chapter to discus ....