Walden Characters

Thoreau

"Simplify, simplify." It's one of the most famous sentences from Thoreau's Walden, but really...

The Poet

The poet is an unnamed character, but scholars generally agree that it refers to Ellery Channing,...

The Philosopher

The philosopher is unnamed in Walden, although scholars generally agree that Thoreau was...

The Hermit

The hermit makes a brief appearance in a silly dialogue with the poet at the beginning of the...

John Field, Irishman

The Irish characters are the only ones with names in Walden. This is not because of their...

The Woodchopper

The woodchopper is one of Thoreau's rare companions in the woods. Of French Canadian background,...