“Economy” Reflection

One interesting passage that Thoreau discusses in “Economy” is the topic of fashion. He condemns the speed at which people in his society buy, wear, and discard new clothing, saying that they “don garment after garment, as if we grew like exogenous plants by addition without” (23). I found it interesting that he expresses his disapproval of fast fashion by writing about it in terms of nature, indicating that he sees society through a natural lens and constantly compares them. He gripes about the difficulty of finding clothes that he likes to wear, stating the disbelief and judgement in the tailor’s response when he asks for a piece of clothing that is out of fashion. He claims that society worships “Fashion” instead of gods, and that this decision is “childish and savage”. I feel like he goes on a rant here for a few pages, letting his frustration about society’s fashion choices flow. I wonder if this is his only mode of relief, pouring his arguments into a book that “listens” instead of people in a society who disagree with him. I wonder if writing Walden, especially this chapter, is cathartic for Thoreau.