Henry David Thoreau's mother regularly brought him food (like sandwiches and baked pies) and did his laundry while he lived at his cabin at Walden Pond.
While his book Walden portrays an experiment in self-reliance, his cabin was only about a mile and a half from his family's home in Concord, Massachusetts. He frequently visited town for dinner, and his mother routinely helped support his stay with supplies from home.
So, yes. He was a LARPer. He wasn't self reliant at all and still depended on Mommy to bring him food.
Also enjoy reading about him growing beans a boring amount of time.

>>25423574
Yes, but so is everyone who thinks they can live in the woods

>>25423574
If you think this book is about the material environment you missed the point.

Thoreau was completely based and personally visited me to encourage me to quit my soulless job. I speak the truth.

>>25423586
I haven't read it yet but I'm curious, was the book presented as if he had lived a completely self-reliant life?
I would totally understand spending time in a cabin, with help from family, and writing a book that is half the experience I'm having and half fiction about someone living that experience without help. Also he could have just figured it made for a better story to leave those parts out, which is also respectable.
If he went around telling the world he lived a self-reliant life that he didn't live then that definitely makes him look lame, but that still isn't enough for me to assume the book itself isn't good

The book is mostly about a profound desire to transcend homosexuality through constant stimulation from nature, staying as far away as possible from the temptations of civilization. Still very enjoyable