Walden

Abstaining from contact with human civilization for much of Walden, Thoreau seeks communion with animals of the woods. He quickly realizes that his “brute neighbors” have a great deal in common with their human counterparts. For example, to Thoreau’s ears, the owls often sound as though they are speaking human words. He writes, “I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic and maniacal hooting for men” (216).

Thoreau also uses the animals as light-hearted case studies in natural behavior, perceiving them to be a less-inhibited version of mankind. He develops interspecies friendships with the mice in his house, insisting they are wild even though he plays with them and teaches them to eat from his hands. Thoreau also intently studies a battle between a group of black ants and a group of red ants. He names particular ants Patroclus and Achilles (from Homer’s The Iliad) and speaks of this battle as if it were an American epic.

At times, Thoreau’s reflections turn from passive observances to more active contemplation of his own brutish character. As a farmer who cherishes his bean field, Thoreau perceives woodchucks as a particular threat and often takes his aggressions out on them. When Thoreau overhears gunshots from a military training base in Concord, he feels a burst of violently patriotic energy and describes his desire to “spit a Mexican with a good relish,—for why should we always stand for trifles?” and then “look[s] round for a woodchuck or a skunk to exercise my chivalry upon” (275). He even feels a compulsion to kill and eat a woodchuck that represents his conflicting primitive and spiritually elevated sides. Ultimately, he decides to honor and value both.

Thus, animals serve as illustrations of humankind’s untamed and good qualities, allowing Thoreau to contemplate where he stands—and how he can cultivate his own character—within the natural world.