Comparing Thoreau And The Canadian Woodchopper

Thoreau considers the Canadian woodchopper to be his best company and it seems as though this can be attributed to the simple and content lifestyle this man leads, even using phrases such as “‘No, I like it well enough’”, (Thoreau, 92) when responding to Thoreau. A response of this accessible form almost stupefies Thoreau, even resulting in his referring to the Canadian as a “metaphysical puzzle” (94). Yet at the same time, the woodchopper pushes Thoreau to reconsider the purpose of extravagant thought and language amidst the rather basic life he lives and preaches. The simplistic lifestyles enjoyed by the two men are, in many ways quite similar, yet at the same time; vastly different to that of Thoreau. It is almost as if the two complement each other well in the way in which Thoreau is highly intellectual and the woodchopper is more content with his physical work, which he truly loves in the same way Thoreau loves formulating deep thoughts and dwelling on them, both done in their lives of simplicity. Due to this, Thoreau is able to …show more content…
I understand Thoreau's love for this, but in my mind this action is for a different time and a different place. As for his notion of leaving space between visitors to allow thoughts to settle out and resonate, I completely recognize, yet feel as though this goal is attainable at any distance, so long as the listeners are actively engaged. However, I agree with Thoreau on the concept of the food served not needing to be anything special; something simple is enough. Parties in today’s age would not, in my opinion, go along with Thoreau’s vision of a gathering. They are often based around fancy food and, a large quantity of it, often detracting from the primary reason of people gathering