The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee
Name:
Period:
Henry David Thoreau
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1817 – Born in Concord Massachusetts (outside Boston)
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1833-37 – Attended Harvard, but refused to pay for his diploma
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1837 – Hired to teach public school, but quit because he refused to administer corporal punishment
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1838 – Opened Concord Academy with his brother John, but the school closed in 1842 after John died
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1845 – Moved to Walden Woods to return to a simpler way of life
1846 – Arrested after he refused to pay taxes for six years in protest over slavery and the Mexican
American War (1846-48)
The Preface: “The Now Thoreau”
Lawrence and Lee end the preface with four paradoxes that they feel express Thoreau’s importance in his
time and in our time.
Record the four paradoxes here:
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Paradox: a statement whose two parts seem contradictory yet make sense with more thought. The contradiction
reveals a kind of truth
Choose one of the paradoxes and explain what truth you think the contradictions reveal about Thoreau and his
importance:
As we read the play, record at least three additional paradoxes (with a short quotation and citation) that the
playwrights include to express Thoreau’s character
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Are you a paradox? Each of us has contradictions to our personality and identity, but it might prove interesting
to think about which one of these contradictions reveal a truth about who you are. Start by thinking about things that
seem like contradictions about you, but that those contradictions reveal something essential about who you are. Write
a short but thoughtful journal below.
Act I: “Time and space are awash here”
Thoreau’s Past
Emerson’s Past
Henry
John
Mother
Ellen
Waldo
Lydian
Edward
Jail Cell
Henry
Bailey
Juxtaposition: a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters and their actions etc. are placed
side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.
Lawrence and Lee juxtapose events of the play’s present (the night in jail) with events of Thoreau’s and Emerson’s
past. This experimental technique seems to convey a Transcendental idea.
What does this technique suggest about the relationship between one’s past and present (you might consider the
paradox from the foreword “Thoreau was – and is”)?
OPTIONAL Plot Questions – you may use these to check your understanding of the text as you read
Act I
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Thoreau went to Harvard. Why didn’t he get a diploma?
Thoreau says that he will “think for a while. That’ll be a change
from college.” Explain the irony of this statement.
According to Bailey, why is he in jail? Bailey has been in jail three
months without a trial. What is Thoreau’s response when Bailey
says, “Don’t make a ruckus; I’m not a troublemaker”?
What does Thoreau teach Bailey to do? Why does Thoreau later
regret teaching Bailey this skill?
Thoreau explains to Deacon Ball that the class is huckleberrying.
Explain what huckleberrying is.
What metaphor does Thoreau use to explain the concept of
believing in the existence of God to a student who has doubts
because he has no tangible proof of His existence?
Why does Deacon Ball insist that Thoreau whip several students?
When Deacon Ball threatens to fire Thoreau, his brother John
urges Thoreau to apologize. Why? Is that a good reason?
Thoreau resigns his position as teacher in the public schools.
Earlier, Emerson had resigned his position as pastor of the Second
Unitarian Church of Boston. How are these situations similar?
According to John, what is all a school needs? Henry and John
decide to create a school with “no buildings.” Why?
How does Thoreau react when he discovers Ellen taking notes?
Why is Edmund no longer attending the Thoreau brothers’
school?
Explain the analogy of the lake that Thoreau uses to explain
Transcendentalism.
When John asks Ellen to marry him, what is her answer? What is
Thoreau’s reaction? What do the brothers conclude about their
lives?
What happens to John? How does his death affect Henry? Ellen?
16.
17.
For whom does Thoreau begin to work? What work will he do,
and how does he wish to be paid?
When Emerson asks Thoreau why he is in jail, what does Thoreau
ask Emerson in return? Why does Thoreau ask Emerson this
question?
Act 2
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Why does Thoreau feel that the government has failed to make
him a prisoner? Why does he still feel free?
What wish does Edward express to both Thoreau and his mother?
Why has Thoreau put gloves on the chickens?
Who is Williams? Where is he going? What does their conversation
reveal about Thoreau’s beliefs?
Henry says, “There’s slavery in the North, too. Every man
shackled to a ten-hour-a-day job is a work-slave. Every man who
has to worry about next month’s rent is a money-slave.” Explain
Thoreau’s thoughts.
What happens to Williams after he leaves Walden?
Thoreau says to Emerson, “I expect more from you than from
anybody else; that’s why I’m more disappointed in you.” Why is
Thoreau disappointed in Emerson?
In response, what complaint does Emerson have against Thoreau?
Why doesn’t Emerson speak to the crowd?
Thoreau falls into a nightmare. What does he dream about?
Who pays Thoreau’s taxes?
What demand does Thoreau make before he leaves the jail?
Thoreau tells Bailey, “Seems to me, I’ve got several more lives to
live. And I don’t know if I can spare anymore time for that one.”
What does Thoreau mean?
What does Thoreau mean when he tells Bailey, “It’s not necessary
to be there in order to be there?”
Who is Thoreau? Use details to gain a full profile of his character
1. For the different types of characterization listed below, record several quotes that reveal Thoreau’s
identity. (see the list on the right for a refresher)
2. Describe what these observations reveal about his motivations, values, personality, treatment of other
people, philosophical and political views
Direct Characterization —
what the authors directly describe about Thoreau’s personality and values
You might use this list
of details to refer back
to specific moments in
the play and to find
quotations (page
numbers are listed first
for the little book and
second for the big
book):
§ Stage directions (4/4)
§ His problem with his
name and his
christening (4/4-5)
§ The alphabet (6/5)
Indirect Characterization —
what the authors indirectly infer about Thoreau’s personality and values as expressed through the
character’s speech, appearance, actions and relationships. What do these details say about the person?
Speech and Thoughts —
consider not only what he says or thinks but also how he says or thinks it
§ Harvard diploma
(9/7)
§ Nightbird (10, 12/10,
12)
§ Huckleberrying
(18/17-18)
§ Teaching about God
as an “Intelligence”
(17, 19/16, 18)
§ School punishement
(21-24/20-23)
Appearance/Posture/Movement/Clothing —
§ Ellen and the notes
(29-30, 24-27)
§ Ellen and the
argument (36-42/
32-39)
Actions, Decisions, Choices —
§ Death of John (4851/ 46-48)
§ Emerson and
Walden (56-57/ 5254))
§ Henry’s arrest (6273/ 58-63)
His relationships and how others perceive him —
Relationship to John
Relationship to Ellen
§ Edward and Henry’s
relationship (78-81/
72-75)
§ Lydian and Henry’s
relationship (82-85/
75-78)
§ Henry Williams (8891/ 80-84)
§ Argument with
Waldo (91-95/ 8589)
Relationship to Waldo Emerson
Relationship to Lydian Emerson
§ Confrontation with
Lydian (98-99/ 9092)
§ Nightmare (100-104/
92-96)
§ Release from jail
(106-107/97-98)
Who is Thoreau? Be as creative and insightful as you can to illustrate
Thoreau’s identity. Use details from the characterization chart.
Label your illustration to explain how your
embellishments explain the following aspects of
Thoreau’s character:
§ personality
§ motivation (what motivates him)
§ desires
§ strengths
§ flaws
§ values
§ beliefs
Thoreau versus the World
1. Describe the problem or struggle that leads to the one of the following conflicts throughout the play
2. Record a quote that reveals Thoreau’s thinking and views that lead to the conflict.
3. Describe what you think this conflict says about Transcendentalism’s beliefs or a bigger problem or deeper idea
Thoreau versus self
Thoreau versus people
Thoreau versus society
1.
1.
1.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
Thoreau versus Emerson
Lawrence and Lee explore some fundamental differenced between Thoreau and Emerson. To help us debate which man
espouses the best way to achieve transcendence, note the subtle and overt differences in their views and their personalities.
1. Record quotes or paraphrase passages that highlight the differences between Thoreau and Emerson
2. Interpret what each difference reveals about the way each man thinks and which man lives the purer life. Consider whether
either man’s beliefs or actions make him a hypocrite.
Thoreau
Emerson
1.
1.
2.
2.
The Message of the Play
What is the lesson about the world that Lawrence and Lee present throughout the play?
There are no easy answers here – your message should not be one that you can jot down after two seconds of thought, but rather
it should be one that you mull over, each time you think about it, your thinking goes a bit deeper, a bit more insightful to
eventually land on a truly inventive interpretation that defines how Thoreau sees the world. To that end, fill out each circle,
forcing your interpretation of the message to grow more developed at each step
Theme stems –
words or topics to get you
started
DE VE
LOP
Choose one of your theme stems
and develop it into a full statement that
describes a lesson learned –
either one that Thoreau learns or
that the audience learns
Describe an incident in the
play that shows this lesson is
an important one
DEVELOP
THINK, REALLY THINK
What can you add in your thinking? What deeper
interpretations could you assert about what Lawrence
and Lee mean about human nature, about society,
about justice and fairness? What are they trying to
change in the world?
Describe another incident in
the play that shows this lesson
is an important one
Describe another incident in
the play that shows this
lesson is an important one
Keep adding circles on another sheet of paper until
you have a message or lesson that goes as deep as
Emerson’s or Thoreau’s!