Chapter VI: Visitors
8 argumentative units
- 01Three Chairs for Company
Thoreau states his love for society, describing his three chairs: one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society.
- 02Room for Big Thoughts
He notes the inconvenience of a small house for uttering big thoughts, and describes his 'withdrawing room'—the pine wood behind his house.
- 03The Hospitality of Massasoit
He recounts Governor Winslow's visit to Massasoit, where there was little food, and notes that his own company was winnowed by distance.
- 04A Homeric Woodchopper
He describes a visit from a simple, natural Canadian woodchopper, a 'true Homeric man' who enjoys his work and his life.
- 05The Woodchopper's Animal Spirits
The woodchopper's exuberance and contentment interest Thoreau, who sees in him the animal man fully developed while the spiritual man slumbers.
- 06A Prince in Disguise
The woodchopper's simple, practical view of the world and his own originality lead Thoreau to wonder if he is a genius in disguise.
- 07Half-Witted Men and Runaway Slaves
He describes other visitors, including half-witted men from the almshouse whom he found wise, and runaway slaves he helped toward the north star.
- 08The Peculiarities of Visitors
He categorizes his visitors: young people who enjoyed the woods, businessmen who did not, and reformers who were the greatest bores of all.