Thoreau explains that it is up to each person to care about themselves and define their soul. He considered becoming a vegetarian based on pure instinct and without any understanding of the health risks involved. He based his idea on his own philosophies of living a simple life and having non-animal tendencies. He believed that by becoming vegetarian it was easier to obtain it and he felt more satisfied with his discoveries. “We are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our flesh, our blood and our bones. All nobility immediately begins to refine a man's features, and malice or sensuality to imbue them” (Higher Laws 180). The conclusion of the novel is moving and allows us to understand why he chose to live this lifestyle. “It is life close to the bone, where it is sweetest” (Conclusion 267). He was trying to get away from everyday life and live a simple life. It is more enriching for the soul and you will learn much more about yourself, nature and higher powers. He feels that he is a changed man and that he will live his life more open to new experiences and that he will be able to promote this transcendentalism to others through his