What Thoreau Saw in Autumn
The falling leaves taught him a precious lesson about death in his final years.
This is the final piece penned by Henry David Thoreau before his death in October 1862. The Civil War had been raging for two years and the October edition of The Atlantic arrived in a somber season of loss. Thoreau himself had passed away four months earlier, succumbing to tuberculosis. The essay contains no connection between autumn and the realities of war, unlike John Greenleaf Whittier's poem on the same topic.
Thoreau initially envisioned this as a visual book, compiling fallen leaves from the trees around him to capture their colorful progression from green to brown. He had first drafted "Autumnal Tints" as a lecture in the 1850s, long before the outbreak of war. Thoreau first delivered the lecture in December 1860, a trip compounded by the bitter cold and worsening health.
The Atlantic publication later bore fresh life with Thoreau's revisions. In a March 1862 letter, he lamented that if he lived, he would have much to share about natural history. Weak and struggling to breathe, he could only adapt some of his lectures into essays for The Atlantic with help from his sister Sophia. This marked a reconciliation with the magazine, after a dispute over a cut line about a fallen pine tree in his earlier "Chesuncook" essay.
Thoreau was outraged by the removal and demanded a reply and payment, which came after further correspondence. The arrival of new editor James T. Fields in 1861 paved the way for Thoreau's contributions under favorable financial terms and the condition that his work would not be altered. Thoreau's writing shows an inclination to omit humor, yet levity remains abundant in "Autumnal Tints."
The essay is a joyful celebration of autumn, inviting readers to experience its vibrant colors and share in its spirit of delight. Thoreau contrasts his own reverie about the natural world with the busyness of his neighbors during harvest time. He contemplates whether the men beneath the elms living in the Concord Common have a parallel readiness for joy.
Death looms large in "Autumnal Tints," as Thoreau reflects on his own impending demise. He finds parallels between the leaves falling in the forest and the souls that return to dust, teaching lessons on how to accept death.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
