Walden: Sounds and Solitude

Sounds

·  Thoreau sees every day as an adventure. One day, he tries taking out all his furniture in order to sweep the floor. Another day, he tries a new species of berry (verdict: ick).

·  One summer afternoon, he watches the birds, and hears the sound of a locomotive going down the nearby Fitchburg Railroad. This is the stuff of action movies, don't you think?

·  He thinks the train is an exhilarating example of progress, but wonders if man is keeping up with his own inventions. (Are the robots going to take over?) He notes how the train schedule now structures the village day, instead of the other way around.

·  Thoreau also doesn't find anything wrong with commerce, per se. In fact, he admires the business-minded spirit that connects all the different parts of the globe.

·  Oh, and on the same note (not at all), he hears a cattle-car rolling by.

·  On Sundays, he hears church bells.

·  And don't forget the animal kingdom. He is able to hear whippoorwills and screech owls and even some frogs.

·  He hasn't heard a rooster crow yet (hopefully that means he sleeps in) nor any other domestic sounds, cats, dogs, or children – just the outdoors of the wild, wild East.

Solitude

·  Occasionally Thoreau has visitors. If they arrive while he's out, they usually leave a walnut leaf or chip as a sign that they've been there.

·  Thoreau isn't sad all on his own. He finds Nature a continuous source of friendliness and cheer.

·  Besides, he finds that he has a kind of split personality, where one side of him is a spectator observing what the other side of him is doing. So, he's not really alone – a little crazy, but not alone.

·  Our man thinks people are actually more alone in the company of others since, usually, our contact with the people around us is so superficial.

·  He explains that he is only alone in the sense that a flower or a fly or a bee is alone in a pasture.

·  There are a couple of neighbors who Thoreau chats with: an old settler of the woods, as well as an old woman who has a nice herb garden.

Study Questions:

1.  According to the description of Thoreau's life at the pond at the beginning of this chapter, how much and what kind of entertainment does a person need to be content? Do you agree? Why or why not?

2.  The sound of the railroad whistle leads Thoreau to write at length on the benefits and problems brought by the railroad. List a few benefits and problems. Does Thoreau think that the benefits outweigh the problems? Why or why not?

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Walden Sounds Summary" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "Walden Solitude Summary" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.