Walden Chapter 6

Walden Chapter 6

1. One specific room in his house.

   • the "best" room in his house was called his withdrawing room
     • He would keep this room neat and sweep it so when guests would arrive, it would be ready

2. Company

   • Thoreau does not mind having company and actually does enjoy it when he has some.
     • When he has company, he does not offer them anything to eat or drink usually
       • Instead, he talks about the pine forest that is outside of his house
         • This shows that Thoreau has a very deep love for nature and its really all he can talk about because he is around it so much and is in his everyday life
       • If he does not have enough food to serve to his guests, then they all do not eat

3. Sustaining guests

   • Thoreau says that if he does not have enough food to feed his guests, then him and his guests will not eat at all.
     • Thoreau does not care for the peoples actual hunger, but cares more about their "spiritual hunger"
       • He says that he can easily be set for a thousand guests and to feed them, and he would also be able to do that if he had only 20 people in front of him.
         • To him, if they go and leave hungry at least they have sympathy for him.

4. More Visitors

   • More guests keep coming and coming to his little cabin
     • Says that he has more guests coming over to his little cabin in the woods now as opposed to the time when he had his own house in the town.
     • More visitors have made him more comfortable and a bit more social than before
   • Has people who are nearby visit him sometimes
     • Man named Alex Therien comes to visit Throeau
     • he is a Canadian Woodsman
     • He cannot read or write well
     • This man is still very honest and respectful
     • Does not have a formal education.
     • Man was able to always keep himself busy and entertained
     • Compared Alex to the Walden Pond because his thoughts were as deep as the pond itself.
   • He also gives a home to the runaway slaves who needed a place to stay

5. Adaptations /Attitude

   • With Thoreau living where he is now, he has learned to be social and learned how to socialize better
     • He drank from the pond, so when people would ask him for water, he would offer them a dipper so they could dip for water.

6. Thoughts and observations

   • Saw that young boys and girls and women liked to be and visit the lake
     • Men only thought of solitude and employment and did not take time to appreciate nature as much as other people do
       • There can't be any danger if you always think that there will be danger