Walden

Leave a comment on paragraph 115

[It is not all books that are as dull as their readers. There are probably words addressed to our condition exactly, which, if we could really bear and understand, would be more salutary than the morning or the spring to our lives, and possibly put a new aspect on the face of things for us.]

I think this paragraph is interesting because Thoreau is explaining that books may be boring to us simply because we can’t understand them, not because the books are actually just boring. He argues that books can change a person’s entire life by showing them a new perspective on life. He strongly highlights the power of reading, even when it comes to the questions we ask ourselves every day. I also think he is explaining that shared human experiences can help us to be more open-minded and understanding.

I thought going into this chapter that Thoreau would speak of music, long drawn out soliloquys on the piano, classical pieces he admired, however instead Thoreau recounts the beautiful musical capabilities of the nature around him. He emphasizes and contrasts from the loud, unharmonious sound of the modern city, the harmonious and melodic nature of the environment around him. Thoreau surprised me and does not once speak on manmade music, other than in some criticism of the sounds he hears from the locomotive, but instead solely sinks into the sounds created by the aspects of nature surrounding him. I found this very important to Thoreau’s main messaging and his overall affection for the creatures and natural aspects of the world surrounding his cabin.

Thoreau’s detailed depiction of the Railroad and its surrounding importance to the city not that far from his cabin, illuminates that though Thoreau has detached himself both physically and mentally from the society in which he finds flawed and deprived of sense, the existence of such a society permeates through the woods in which he hopes would completely seclude him. I found this short paragraph regarding the influence of the railroad on the survival of the town very interesting. It parallels Thoreau’s unique experience as he makes food for himself, creates shelter for himself, and lives comfortably with purpose, to the experience of the city that lives each day with reliance on a train system, a system that deprives the inhabitants of the town with the same level of experience that Thoreau is getting. I still find the most interesting analogy in this paragraph to be the emphasis on the locomotive penetrating Thoreau’s woods; truly this detail illustrates that though Thoreau is pushing himself to discover meaning and purpose within life, there will always be people and community’s that are fine existing within the context of what society has deemed a proper and admirable way to live. Not only will this always exist, but despite your efforts to detach yourself from a culture or way of living that does not suit you, you must understand that this society will not dissipate, and remnants of such a way of life will remain observable to you, whether through sights, sounds, readings, or memories.

I found this paragraph in reading deeply meaningful due to the irony in which it is written. Thoreau obsesses over and depicts his affinity for reading, specifically for reading classics. I find this very ironic as Walden in its own right, has become a staple classic of American literature. Thoreau states, “For what are the classics but the noblest recorded thoughts of man?”, He really leans into how classical literature is some of if not the most valuable and important literature when it comes to reading in general. I enjoyed Thoreau’s emphasis on reading deliberately and how classical books push us to do this. I really admired the way Thoreau speaks about books, and old literature; it not only resonates with his audience and further symbolizes Thoreau’s criticism’s on modern day society, society that seemingly does not have time to read as they are to engulfed in working, selling, and buying, but explicates how Thoreau is a great writer, and a passionate writer, because he reads. This paragraph alone offers insight into Thoreau’s inspirations and ironically and coincidentally foreshadows the success and importance of this book.

I find this really inspiring, and I like how he says this. He is explaining how just because you’re alone doesn’t mean you’re lonely, which is something I think society forgets frequently. He says how we are almost lonelier when we go out and are around people than when we are alone, because the greatest companionship we will ever have is with ourselves. I really like this point he makes, and it reminds me that it’s okay to be alone and to make the most of it when I am alone because I will always have myself.

[We boast that we belong to the nineteenth century and are making the most rapid strides of any nation.]

Reading this caught me really off guard for a moment, because I had genuinely forgotten this book is nearly two hundred years old.  Ironic that this realization came in a passage that proves just how little humanity has actually changed.  Everything about this book basically talks about our need to slow down and to really consider what we value as a civilization and why.  The same complaints Thoreau seemed to have are still completely topical today, and this is just crazy to think about.

I wonder what Thoreau would think of us modernly printing every book in every language. Just because the beauty and artistry may not translate perfectly across languages, I think reading these texts is still a valuable thing to do even if its not in the original language. I completely understand his point of view but it is ironic to me that he wants everyone to read the classics but if it isn’t going to be in the language they were originally written in, you may as well not read them.

So glad you called attention to this remarkable sentence, @annaenright! It’s interesting how many metaphors Thoreau packs into the whole paragraph: bullets, soldiers (in “columns”), nations and their boundaries, overlapping ripples in pond water. The image, at the end of the paragraph, of individuals backing away from each other till their chairs are up against opposite corners is a great example of Thoreau’s comic hyperbole.

Your excellent point that this paragraph belongs to the theme of “distance” in Walden made me think of this passage from “Economy,” paragraph 13:

“What distant and different beings in the various mansions of the universe are contemplating the same one at the same moment! Nature and human life are as various as our several constitutions. Who shall say what prospect life offers to another? Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?”

It seems to be important to Thoreau both to maintain adequate distance from others and to find a way to make contact with them across the gulf that separates our different personalities.

The slightly abstract and very descriptive imagery of this paragraph stood out to me.  It also adds to the novel’s overall theme of distance.  I specifically love “The bullet of your thought must have overcome its lateral and ricochet motion and fallen into its last and steady course before it reaches the ear of the hearer, else it may plough out again through the side of his head.” While the idea of sharing thoughts with someone is relatively simple, his use of “the bullet” adds complexity and an artistic dimension to his writing.  It truly was a beautiful paragraph to read and probably my favorite thus far.

I find this perspective on solitude to be very interesting.  While people often think of “solitude” as being isolated, it doesn’t necessarily mean that.  The exact definition (according to Google) actually is “the state of being alone, intentionally chosen for peace, reflection, or self-renewal, and is distinct from the negative, lonely feeling of isolation.”  Solitude is more so choosing peace for inward reflection.  Just as Thoreau isn’t necessarily isolated from the world, as he is only a mile away, he still has the space for quiet inward reflection.  Someone can be 5 feet away from someone and still in a state of solitude, as it is the thoughts occurring inward that matter.  I had never thought about it this way, so this chapter was very thought-provoking.