Read the excerpt from “conclusion” in walden. the surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels. how worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity! i did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there i could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. i do not wish to go below now. which best describes the purpose of the imagery in the excerpt?