Chapter 8 - "The Village"

In the 8th Chapter of Walden, entitled "The Village," Thoreau details the observations and experiences in the village, while also connecting it to nature, "Every day or two I strolled to the village to hear some of the gossip which is incessantly going on there...and which, taken in homoeopathic doses, was really as refreshing in its way as the rustle of leaves and the peeping of frogs" (Thoreau). Although Thoreau preaches to individualism, in this passage, the readers understand that Thoreau enjoyed regular visits to the village, meaning that he didn't completely detach himself from the real world. However, more surprisingly, unlike Civil Disobedience, "The Village" is able to maintain its purpose throughout the entire chapter and is able to sustain from being paradoxical. The title of the chapter also reinforces the purpose by simply phrasing Thoreau's purpose: the village. Although quite simple and plain, Thoreau's purpose in this chapter faithfully focuses on the title in that Thoreau explains his observations in the village, "...a village of busy men, as curious to me as if they had been prairie-dogs, each sitting at the mouth of its burrow, or running over to a neighbor's to gossip. I went there frequently to observe their habits" (Thoreau). In this quote, Thoreau notes how his purpose for visiting the village was to observe the habits of the village's citizens. Although the chapter is entitled "The Village," Thoreau also remains faithful to transcendentalism and includes his observations of nature as well in the contexts of the village.
In addition to being focused, Thoreau uses a much more inviting tone, contrary to the tone utilized in Civil Disobedience. Thoreau achieves a more journalistic and observational tone, rather than critical tone, by not specifically addressing his audience within the chapter. Instead, he continuously stays in the first person, only sharing his experiences with the readers, "It was very pleasant, when I stayed late in town, to launch myself into the night, especially if it was dark and tempestuous, and set sail from some bright village parlor or lecture room, with a bag of rye or Indian meal upon my shoulder, for my snug harbor in the woods, having made all tight without and withdrawn under hatches with a merry crew of thoughts, leaving only my outer man at the helm, or even tying up the helm when it was plain sailing" (Thoreau). While this quote effectively demonstrates Throeau's use of the first person in which he only explains his experiences, it also exemplifies how Thoreau's diction contributes to his tone. By including words such as "village parlor" and "snug," the readers feel more comforted as they continue to read the chapter. In another way, by mentioning how the night is pleasant, the readers are comforted by the simplicity of Thoreau's life and how he is easily satisfied by something like the night.
To emphasize a point earlier mentioned, Thoreau's diction also emphasizes the observational tone Thoreau establishes. Thoreau meticulously describes minute details of nature and refrains from criticizing his audience, "In one direction from my house there was a colony of muskrats in the river meadows; under the grove of elms and buttonwoods in the other horizon was a village of busy men, as curious to me as if they had been prairie-dogs, each sitting at the mouth of its burrow, or running over to a neighbor's to gossip" (Thoreau). Throughout this chapter, Thoreau takes note of simple things and is able to share them with his audience competently.
Since Thoreau's piece is most dominantly in the first person, Thoreau is writing to a more general audience. "The Village" reads much like a journal entry, thus meaning that its purpose is to be notes for the author to look back on or to share with the a general public. In addition, the readers can also infer that Thoreau is writing to a general audience when he explains how one can get lost in familiar places, "Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as be awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction. Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations" (Thoreau). Through this quote, the readers are able to infer Thoreau's audience since he is teaching us how "we"--not just us--may not be able to understand the vastness of nature until we are truly lost in it.