Solitude

In chapter five of Walden, Thoreau addresses the issue of solitude. Many people view solitude as something negative, associated with loneliness. However, Thoreau puts a different spin on solitude saying that solitude is something all can benefit from because solitude gives you many benficial opportunities that you wouldn't get a chance to experience otherwise. Thoreau chose the title "solitude" because solitude doesn't have the same negative tone that the words loneliness and seclusion have. Even though solitude, loneliness, and seclusion have the same general meaning, these words represent different things in everyone's minds, and they associate these words with other things that give them a negative or positive aspect. If Thoreau had chosen loneliness and seclusion, then the audience wouldn't have the same open mind that they have with the word seclusion because of the negative things they associate with those words. Therefore, the audiance wouldn't have listened to Thoreau's ideas and beliefs as greatly as they would have, and they would be less impacted from his piece. The audiance also wouldn't have felt a greater need to act on Thoreau's words.

Thoreau's purpose in chapter five is to show his audiance that when an indiviual is "alone" with nature, they are able to see that they truly aren't alone. Nature is always there, and will provide everything we need. When we are alone with nature, that is when we are able to clearly think and find deeper meanings. "Some of my pleasantest hours were during the long rain-storms in the spring or fall, which confined me to the house for the afternoon as well as the fornoon, soothed by their ceaseless roar and pelting; when an early twiligt ushered in a long evening in which many thoughts had time to take root and unfold themselves"(Thoreau 5). Thoreau explains to his audience that it wasn't until he was confined in his house for long periods of time with nature where he found many answers that he'd been searching for a long time. "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude" (Thoreau 12). Thoreau is saying that when we are with company, that is when we are truly alone because we aren't able to think and find the answers we're looking for. However, when we are with nature, we are able to be alone with our thoughts to find answers we've been searching for. Thoreau makes his argument throughout the piece by relating his own life experiences to what he believes to show that he is a good example of what he says. This way, the audience understands his purpose more.


The audience in chapter five is the more educated part of society. Thoreau quotes and gives exanples from roman and greek mythology, Conficius, and other intelligent sources that he assumes the reader knows and has heard of because he doesn't explain who they are or give a backround behind each source. Also, with the use of these well-known, intelligent figures, the audience relates more to Thoreau because they have heard of these sources and believe what they believe in. This also makes his audience easier to persuade.The tone of chapter five is amazed with all that nature and offers to the individual, and condescending of those who are unable to see all that nature offers, and those who don't desire to use nature to seek for deeper meanings. When Thoreau is asked by a townsman if he ever gets lonely, Thoreau immediately wants to respond to his question to show the townsman how wrong his question was and how deeply mistaken he was. Thoreau thought in his mind,"What sort of space is that which seperates a man from his fellows and makes him solitary?"(Thoreau 5). Thoreau means to show how misunderstood society is about solitude, and how confined and conformed their thoughts are about being alone.