9- The Ponds

9- The Ponds

1. Walden Pond

   • Villagers are treating the pond as a simple, weak object for their use
   • Kills the shrubs and trees along the shore
     • Benefits Thoreau: had a row of 15-foot-tall pitch pines growing on the side of the pond
   • Believes the pond is one with the world and nature
     • Both he and the pond are in their own solitudes, and thus they can keep a harmonious bond
   • Tradition/myth involved the sinking of a hill during an Indian pow-pow. The only survivor was a girl named Walden
     • Gives Walden Pond more significance; makes the pond special not only to him, but to the townspeople who know the story.

2. Nature

   • Feels a special connection to those in the past who truly loved nature

3. Transcendentalism