4. The Solitude that is mentioned in the eight
pages of this chapter doesn’t refer to physical
solitude. It refers to psychological solitude, the
solitude of the mind that facilitates for critical
reflection. As proofs:
“Why should I feel lonely? Is not our planet in
the Milky Way?... What sort of space is that
which separates a man from his fellows and
makes him solitary?”
-Thoreau (Pg 107)
“Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that [separate] a man and his fellows.”
-Thoreau (Pg 109)
“We are never alone.”
-Thoreau (Pg 110)

5. Thoreau iterates the idea that man is dependant
on nature. Thus, we must take care of nature, for
it will take care of us. As proofs:
“Our horizon is never quite at our elbows.”
-Thoreau (Pg 104)
In other words, we are part of the bigger picture.
“The gentle rain… being good for the grass, it would be good for me.”
-Thoreau (Pg 105-106)
“Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself?”
-Thoreau (Pg 111)

6. Thoreau criticises and complains about the lack of interaction within society. He
argues that society makes us feel more alone with its rules and code of conduct. As
proofs:
“Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time
to acquire any new value for each other.
-Thoreau (Pg 109)
“We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to
make this frequent meeting tolerable… we thus lonesome respect for one another.”
-Thoreau (pg 109)
“We are the subjects of an experiment which is not a little interesting to me.”
-Thoreau (Pg 108)
“consider the girls in a factory,--never alone [yet still mentally alone]”
-Thoreau (pg 109)

8. Traveller[s]… fished… in the Walden Pond for their own natures, and baited
their hooks with darkness,--but they… retreated with light baskets and left
“the world to darkness and to me,”
-Thoreau (Pg 105)
Travellers = Any individual/person
Walden Pond = The world/existence
Darkness = Solitude
Fish = Ideas/revelations/epiphanies from the pond (world)
Accompanied with the symbol key, the
extract means that most people are
revolted by solitude, and live without
any appreciation and awareness of the
world. Thus leaving Thoreau to enjoy
the pond, all alone.

9. …men are generally still a little afraid of the dark, though the witches are all
hung, and Christianity and candles have been introduced.
-Thoreau (Pg 105)
Darkness = Solitude
Witches = Irrational fears
Christianity and candles = Progress of man (or the illusion, as men are still afraid)
Thoreau is saying that Men are still afraid
of solitude, to think, to reflect etc…
regardless of the progress or the illusion
of it.
He is also taking a jab at Christianity with
his sarcastic tone, and reminding the
reader, ‘great, now we have killed those
people for the imaginary crime of
witchcraft in those witch hunts’.