TEWWG

1. "The dream is the truth." (pg. 1)


This suggests either that the women want their dreams so much that it becomes truth to them, or it means that the women have no dreams. Life's experiences have taken them away so, the only thing they live for is the truth and reality replaces their dreams.

Walden pg. 289-end

There is a bit of a focus on beginnings in these chapters. Thoreau tells us how spring is his favorite season, probably because it marks the beginning of something. Spring is also a time of awakening and recreation. He describes about how, in nature, you are not really alone because of all the things around you, so you are not lonely. But, in society, there is so much competition that you are lonely. There is a reason put to why people like to travel, and Thoreau thinks it is because it is easier and less scary than exploring our minds and finding out what we are capable of. Thoreau doesn't want to explore old places, but places where he has never been before. The last chapter of Walden encourages the individual to wake up and not to look down on others because of different views.

Walden pg. 262-288

This part of Walden also has a focus around nature and simple living. To Thoreau, the sights and sounds of animals are his entertainment and music. He likes to witness how little it takes to feed so many little critters (just a few ears of corn). There is a contrast between Thoreau, who is becoming more a part of nature, and the hunters (society) who are destroying it. Thoreau notices how people come in contact with nature all the time and don't notice it very much, so they can't become a part of it. Society is taking away from nature in this section when the train brings many men to take the ice from the top of Walden Pond.

Walden pg. 228-262

This section of Walden followed mainly along the theme of living simply. Thoreau tells us how he likes to get his food from nature and be heated by the sun rather than by fire. He has a one roomed house where it is simple to get from one place to the next because there is no separation. There are many references to nature being like a treasure that should be respected. Thoreau tells us about the bricks that he uses to build his fireplace. They are a symbol of the individual being covered by society. The longer they are covered by society, the harder it is to get out. He also tells about the bubbles under the ice in the pond and how they are prettier when they are individual than when they all come together. Thoreau tells us about his connection with fire and how fire makes his house seem less lonely, like there is someone else there. This section also focuses a lot on how we don't leave much behind when we die, just memories. And most of the memories are only recognized by a few people.

Walden pg. 194-228

This section of Walden has the two major themes of society and nature. Thoreau tries to show others how to escape from society and live simply in nature. He shows us how America is not really free because there is too much society. Thoreau's freedom is in nature. He feels that he is a part of nature. Even though he doesn't like to hunt, he encourages young people to hunt because it brings them closer to nature and farther from society. Each year that Thoreau spends at Walden Pond, he becomes more a part of nature. He feels that he is living closer with nature because he doesn't like to eat meat. The animals start to accept Thoreau as a part of nature, an this suggest that he is becoming like an animal himself by living simply. The war between the ants is a symbol of the war between the individual and society (conquer or die).

Walden pg. 168-194

This chapter also fits into the theme of society. The chapter tells us that as long as we are in society, we can't develop the individual. To him the pond symbolizes protection and safety from society. The surface of the pond is a mirror that can't be broken: the things on the bottom are untouchable. That is what Thoreau wants, to be untouchable by society. The things that live in Walden Pond are different from the things everywhere else, even though they are the same species. Thoreau wants to be like those animals. He wants to be different. Walden Pond is a symbol of purity to Thoreau. The pond is the center of his world, an he goes fishing on it at night showing us how he is awake while everyone else is asleep (spiritually).

Walden pg. 135-168

These chapters focus mainly on society. First, it talks about the difference between how society treats visitors versus how the Indians treat their visitors. In society, you only provide for your visitors if there are less than twenty of them, but the indians provide for them no matter how many there are, even if they almost don't have enough to feed their visitors. For Thoreau, living alone at Walden pond means less visitors and less of society in his life. Thoreau's Canadian friend is very happy because he is an individual and is away from society, but he is intellectually asleep. When Thoreau does have people who come to visit, he tries to encourage them to think.
Society also has an influence on the way that people plant fields, but Thoreau has his own ideas on how it should be done. He takes it slow and is always planting. Thoreau is like his field because he is the connection between nature and society. For him, the things of society are at a distance so they don't have much of an effect on his field. Planting the beans in his field is something that he does as an individual, so it is something that he feels good about. The beans are like the individual: in order to grow they have to keep out certain things (woodchucks-society). When Thoreau goes into the town that is close to the pond, he has to be careful to not stay for too long because society is a danger to the individual.