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Motif
Explanation and Analysis—Imaginary People:
The motif of imaginary people in the final chapters of Walden conveys the author's deep sense of solitude. In "Former Inhabitants; and Winter Visitors," Thoreau describes the former inhabitants of Concord, Massachusetts:
For human society I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods. Within the memory of many of my townsmen the road near which my house stands resounded with the laugh and gossip of inhabitants, and the woods which border it were notched and dotted here and there with their little gardens and dwellings, though it was then much more shut in by the forest than now. In some places, within my own remembrance, the pines would scrape both sides of a chaise at once, and women and children who were compelled to go this way to Lincoln alone and on foot did it with fear, and often ran a good part of the distance.
Here, Thoreau feels "obliged to conjure up" memories of the original peoples of Concord. He also relies on the memories of his fellow townsmen (who live in closer proximity to society). As he imagines the sounds of "laughter and gossip" among nearby people, he goes into great detail about the pines that "scrape both sides of a chaise at once"—which suggests he has a lot of time on his hands to ponder the past and present. He often compares himself to the inhabitants of Walden Pond— both real and imaginary—which reveals how often he thinks about other people, and sometimes hints at his tendency to self-aggrandize. He sees himself as a man on a mission, and he wants to know how he fits into the history of the pond.
In "The Ponds" he likewise imagines a more recent group of people who had "left some trace of their footsteps." He is "surprised to detect" a shelf-like path that encircles the pond that he posits is "as old probably as the race of man here" and "worn by the feet of aboriginal hunters." It is also "unwittingly trodden" by present occupants such as himself. This moment creates continuity between past and present and makes Thoreau feel like an integral part of the pond's history. Throughout Walden, this motif of imagining people not only reveals the author's deep sense of solitude but also his belief that he stands among the imagined inhabitants as an essential part of Walden's history.
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