Emerged tired but happy from The Maine Woods at 7.45 pm. Thoreau was a great companion to have on the way, but a bit heavy-going in places, providing a bit too much detail. Mind you, of the three different expeditions he made through the wilderness, it was the third and final, The Allagash and East Branch, I found the most readably fascinating, but not on account of the richly vivid descriptions of the forests, lakes & rivers therein.
What really held me was Thoreau's descriptions of and relationship with his native American guide, his Indian. (Nothing too woke about Henry David, at least on the surface, that is.) The guide's name is given in full one time only, in the penultimate sentence of the account: This was the last that I saw of Joe Polis. Before that the Indian is very occasionally Polis, but usually the Indian. So what is Thoreau up to at the end? Is he subtly referencing the full humanity of his companion in giving his name and ending the narrative at the point they separate forever? Or does he remain the oddly eccentric sort of servant to the superior, civilised white guys. The Other.
It's a puzzle. But what is clear is that, consciously or unconsciously, the writer is fascinated by the man. He, his presence, dominates the account such that it becomes a narrative in a deeper sense than just a travel guide. But as to what Thoreau really thinks of Joe Polis, I don't know. And I suspect he doesn't or didn't and needed to write it out of himself.
Glad I got to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment