In many ways, "Walking" seems both a distillation of and an expansion upon Walden. Because Thoreau was preparing the lectures that he combined to form "Walking" simultaneously with Walden, it is natural that there is a particular correspondence between the two. The major themes of Walden are the major themes of "Walking," presented more urgently and dramatically in the essay than in the book. The end of "Walking" is especially reminiscent of Walden. As he does in Walden, Thoreau uses the image of the rooster as the crowing, bragging "expression of the health and soundness of Nature," rousing men to wakefulness and perception, to "a pure morning joy." Moreover, Thoreau concludes both Walden and "Walking" with the imagery of the powerful, inspiring light of alert understanding. But the light at the end of "Walking" is presented in far greater detail and far more lyrically than that of dawn and the sun as a morning star at the conclusion of Walden. He writes in "Walking" of the "glory and splendor" of a particular November sunset:
We walked in so pure and bright a light, gilding the withered grass and leaves, so softly and serenely bright, I thought I had never bathed in such a golden flood, without a ripple or a murmur to it. The west side of every wood and rising ground gleamed like the boundary of Elysium, and the sun on our backs seemed like a gentle herdsman driving us home at evening.
Indeed, the relationship of theme and image between "Walking" and Walden suggests one important reason for Thoreau's powerful continuing appeal, beyond the relevance of his message to our own time. Although his major ideas are presented in different ways and with varying degrees of emphasis throughout his work, his writings possess a satisfying aesthetic coherence.
