# Night and Moonlight explained — Essays

> Chapter companion for Essays by Henry David Thoreau.

## What happens

Thoreau reflects on the beauty and spiritual significance of night and moonlight, advocating for nocturnal walks to explore a different side of nature. He contrasts the civil yet savage quality of moonlight with the garishness of day, drawing on literary and philosophical references to argue that night offers a unique opportunity for contemplation, poetic insight, and a deeper connection with the cosmos.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and Simplicity

Thoreau celebrates the restorative power of night and moonlight, urging a return to nature for spiritual and intellectual enrichment.

### The Role of the Poet and Writer

Thoreau positions himself as a benefactor who conquers realms from the night and adds to the domains of poetry, emphasizing the poet's role in revealing hidden beauty.

## Character check-ins

### Henry David Thoreau

The narrator and central figure, who resolves to take more moonlight walks and explore the 'Central Africa of the night.'

### Richter

Quoted on the purpose of night as a veil to help apprehend higher harmonies of thought.

### Ossian

Quoted in an address to the Sun, asking about the dwelling of darkness and the stars.

### Pliny

Mentioned for his description of the Selenites stone, which increases and decreases with the moon.

### Sir Walter Raleigh

Quoted on the stars being instruments of greater use than giving obscure light.

### Coleridge

Referenced in a critique by Dr. Chalmers regarding ideas that are not easily seen all around.

## Key lines

> Night is certainly more novel and less profane than day.

The night offers a fresher and more sacred experience compared to the ordinary and worldly day.

_Thoreau asserts the unique value of nighttime for discovery and purity._

> I shall be a benefactor if I conquer some realms from the night, if I report to the gazettes anything transpiring about us at that season worthy of their attention—if I can show men that there is some beauty awake while they are asleep—if I add to the domains of poetry.

Thoreau sees himself as a contributor to human knowledge and art by revealing the beauty and events of the night that most people miss while sleeping.

_This reflects his mission as a writer and observer of nature._

> The poet who walks by moonlight is conscious of a tide in his thought which is to be referred to lunar influence.

A poet walking under the moon feels a rhythmic flow of ideas that seems connected to the moon's gravitational pull.

_Thoreau links lunar influence to creative inspiration._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/essays_2_se/chapters/night-and-moonlight
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/essays_2_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/essays_2_se/chapters