In the name of the Bee -
And of the Butterfly -
And of the Breeze -
Amen!
Found you.
Please go away.
But I just got here.
I'm trying to be alone.
Want a drag?
Fine.
What you reading?
Walden.
By Thoreau. Have you read it?
I couldn't get through it.
I think it's incredible.
A life of absolute solitude, alone in nature.
I wanna live like that.
Why?
Because. The wilderness is...
honest.
Trustworthy.
Whereas all other people do is hurt you.
Tell me who hurt you.
Sue.
You're still upset about her moving to Boston?
I don't wanna talk about it.
She wrote Austin a letter and still hasn't written me back.
Hey, you guys will make up.
George, if you don't mind, I just need some space right now.
I need to be with my tree.
Looks like I'm not the only one disturbing your solitude.
We've got the conditional line coming right through here.
What are they doing here?
They must be surveyors.
For the railroad.
Construction starts tomorrow, you know.
Of course I know that, but they can't build the railroad in our woods.
This is private property.
Maybe your dad gave them permission.
Dad. You can't do this.
Excuse me? Do what?
You can't let them tear down our woods.
Is this any way to enter my office? Whatever happened to a knock?
I'm sorry, but this is an emergency.
They are out there right now, getting started.
Of course they are.
Tomorrow is the first day of construction on the great Amherst Belchertown Railroad.
You must be excited. I know my daughters are thrilled.
Now they can buy dresses from the finest dressmakers in New York.
They've got a regular case of railroad fever.
- I've certainly got railroad fever. - The whole town's got railroad fever.
Then the whole town should see a doctor,
if they think anyone's gonna run a train through our woods.
My dear, the train will run through our woods.
- It's simply the most efficient route. - "Efficient"?
What is efficient about filling our peaceful, quiet woods
with noise and smoke and other people?
Emily, I'm afraid you can't stand in the way of progress.
The papers have already been signed.
Do the papers say they're allowed to cut down my tree?
"Your tree."
The big oak tree. The one Great-Grandfather planted.
If it's necessary, then yes.
Dad, please. I'm begging you.
I love that tree.
I need that tree.
It's where I go to think, to listen.
If you let them kill that tree, you're killing me.
Do your daughters speak to you like this?
Most of the time, yes.
Well, I didn't bring her up to behave like a mad heathen.
Emily, I'm ashamed of you.
"Ashamed of me"?
Why? Because I care more about our oak tree than dresses from New York?
Well, I've also ordered a suit.
Traitor.
Ithamar, I apologize.
No need.
It seems my daughter has chosen to embarrass me,
but perhaps my son will make a better impression.
Austin, I have an idea.
As you know,
the groundbreaking ceremony for the new railroad
will be held tomorrow afternoon.
It will be quite a to-do. The whole town will be there.
And I think it would be proper
for a member of our family to make a contribution.
What exactly were you thinking?
I was thinking you might write a poem.
Are you sure you want me to do it?
Of course, my dear boy.
Who else?
William Austin Dickinson, you are my only son.
And you happen to be a man of rare intelligence and talent.
I'm sure you will rise to the occasion.
I guess I could give it a shot.
There's my boy.
This will be a good thing for the Dickinsons.
Hear! Hear!
And as soon as that train is up and running...
I'm sure you won't even remember that old tree.
Really, her manners are appalling.
Hey, what happened? You talk to your father?
I don't have a father. Or a brother. I don't have anyone.
You have me.
I don't want anyone, George. I just wanna be by myself.
That's too bad.
I was hoping we could hang out.
I can't. I'm going somewhere.
Where you going?
To Walden.
All the way to Concord? Why?
To find Thoreau.
I think he can help me.
Help you how? Isn't he just a cranky old hermit?
He is an environmentalist, George.
He loves nature more than anyone in the world.
Or at least Massachusetts.
If I tell him what they're about to do to my tree,
I bet he'll do something.
Maybe I can get him to write a letter of protest.
And people will listen to him even if they don't listen to me.
Okay, then. I'll go with you.
No. I wanna go by myself.
Come on. You're not allowed to travel by yourself. It isn't safe.
A lady needs a companion. And...
I feel like taking a day trip.
So much for living a life of solitude.
Hi.
That dress is so glam.
Hi.
George, come on.
Finally. What took you so long?
I got us so many snacks.
I'm not even hungry.
We have a long journey ahead of us.
We need sustenance.
- Okay, what did you get? - Peanuts.
Popcorn. Gingerbread.
- Doughnuts. - Okay.
Got a stomachache already.
Also got some taffy.
We already missed a carriage that was going straight to Northampton.
Now we have to wait for another one.
It'll be so much more convenient when the train comes directly to Amherst.
"Convenient." "Efficient."
You know, we don't have to speed everything up.
Sometimes it's good to slow down.
Why do you hate technology?
Thoreau says, "We don't ride the railroad, the railroad rides us."
I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this guy.
Then why are you coming to Walden?
Because. I like being with you.
Is that...
Lavinia!
I thought you were the weird one.
Another letter to Sue?
She can't ignore me forever.
You are really invested in that friendship.
It is possible she did write to me, and the letter was lost.
Or maybe Austin stole it.
I wouldn't put it past him.
Or who knows, maybe my last letter upset her.
Why? What did you say?
Only that she had me chained up in an insane asylum of love.
If you wrote that to me, I'd be pretty psyched.
Thanks.
Do you think that Sue and Austin will still get married?
- Not gonna be able to keep writing, am I? - I'd just like to have a conversation.
We're sitting on a train together, side by side.
It just seems like an opportunity for, you know, interaction.
We could share some laughs,
profess our undying love for each other,
discuss how many children we're gonna have.
Three boys, two girls?
Fantasize about growing old together on the porch that I'm gonna build for us.
You know, just to get to know each other better.
I hope they don't.
What?
Austin and Sue. I hope they don't get married.
Because, for Sue...
I think it would be like a prison.
Why are you so anti-marriage? Some people love being married, you know.
Right. Some people called men.
No, not just men.
If I were a man, I would definitely want a wife.
Someone to cook for me, clean for me, raise my 500 children.
All while I got to do exactly what my heart desired.
You're so cynical.
Marriage can be comforting.
Cozy.
I just think, wanting to be alone forever?
That's weird.
- People need each other to survive. - Concord, last stop.
Not according to Thoreau.
Mr. and Mrs. George Gould?
- Yes? - No. We're not married.
Well, this is Concord. End of the line.
Look at all this foliage. It's gorgeous.
- I'm so glad to be out of the city. - Yeah. Let's go peep some leaves.
Not exactly off the grid around here.
Poetry. Poetry.
The poetry... Okay.
Poetry.
How do I summon the muse?
Come to me, muse.
What in heaven's name is that?
It's my headdress.
Why would you ever wear such a thing?
I wanna get abducted by Indians.
I beg your pardon?
Okay, so, the thing is,
I was in town today and I saw Joseph Lyman walking arm in arm
with Eliza Coleman, and he straight-up ignored me.
And Eliza doesn't even have ringlets.
And what I'm thinking is
maybe I could just get kidnapped by Indians,
and then the chief would have a really handsome son,
and I could marry him and then be an Indian princess.
And then who would be laughing then, Joseph?
What makes you think the Indians would want you?
Mother.
Wow. This place is so...
crowded.
It does seem... populated.
This is not how he described it in the book.
Yeah.
It's way more fun than I expected.
I didn't come here to have fun. I came here to have a conversation with Thoreau.
And I'm starting to think that he doesn't even live here.
Are you looking for Henry?
Excuse me?
David Henry, actually. He switched it.
Well, of course he lives here. His cabin's right over there.
As a matter of fact, I'm his mother.
- His mother? - Yes, indeed.
We are very proud of our Henry around here.
You must be fans of his.
And I imagine you wanna get that book signed.
No, no. I don't want to intrude on him just for that. I...
No. Henry is always game to sign a book.
Okay, come with me and I'll take you over there to meet him.
Really? Right now?
Of course.
I have to pick up his laundry anyway.
His... laundry?
This feels wrong.
We're disturbing his sacred solitude. We shouldn't have come.
Emily, relax.
We're here to save the tree. Remember?
Yes, right, the tree.
He'll understand, I know he will.
I go to the water.
I go to the well.
The pure, sacred water of the Ganges is intermingled with the water of Walden.
- Don't. You really don't have to. - Oh, it's fine. He's just doing his yoga.
Who knocks? Mother, it's you.
- Henry, it's laundry day. - Is it?
I lose track of time out here
in my extreme solitude.
Well, I've come to get your dirty clothes. And these two would like to meet you.
More cheap society.
I hope we're not disturbing you...
Hang on a minute.
There you go.
Is this everything?
A man only needs one set of clothes, you know.
Despite the endless dictates of fashion.
- And what about your checkered trousers? - They're in the bag.
All right, then. I'll bring them back tomorrow.
Well, then wait. Take my shirt.
You're going to entertain your guests half-naked?
These are not my guests because I didn't even invite them.
Don't be rude, Henry.
I'm so sorry, Mr. Thoreau. You must want us to leave.
Well, actually...
I was hoping I could interview you.
Interview me?
For what paper?
I'm the editor of the Amherst College Literary Journal.
Many of the students at our school are great admirers of yours.
Would it be possible to ask you a few questions?
Don't, George, he wants us to leave...
Yeah. I can make time for that.
Why don't you both come in?
I hope you're not hungry...
because all I have is beans.
So, my main question is...
Don't you ever get lonely?
- Never. - Really?
I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time.
To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating.
I love to be alone.
I never found a companion that was as companionable as solitude.
I feel the same exact way. That's why your book has inspired me so...
I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself
than be crowded on a velvet cushion.
Write that down.
I know just what you mean.
You see, I have a place I like to go to be alone.
Just like you. The woods behind our house.
But now they're going to build the railroad through it.
They're going to cut down my favorite tree.
Is this part of the interview?
I came here to ask for your help.
I hope you don't think I'm gonna donate to some charity.
Oh, no.
No. I was thinking you might...
write a letter.
A letter?
About what?
You see, people will listen to you. Your voice is important.
And I think if you could write about our woods
as well as you wrote about Walden, I just think people would hear it.
And then my tree could be saved.
What do I care about your tree?
What do you mean?
I thought you...
you said you loved the woods.
I love my woods. I'm not much interested in yours.
Harsh.
Sister, what are you doing here?
Hello, Henry, I've brought you some cookies.
You must be bone-tired after trekking all the way here.
It's really not that far. We live just a mile away.
Our dad owns a pencil factory.
Yes, you are brave
to make such a long journey into the wilderness.
Well, anyway, there you go.
Peanut butter, your favorite.
I see you have company.
I'm his sister. I live just down the...
Your home is far away. And you must return there now.
Good luck on your arduous slog back to civilization.
Where were we?
We were talking about solitude.
Yes.
You see, solitude suits me.
I am no more lonely than the loon that laughs so loud.
Or than Walden Pond itself.
What company has that lonely lake, I pray?
It seems the lake has plenty of company.
Excuse me?
The pond is full of people.
They're everywhere.
You didn't say that in your book.
The people may be there, but I have no use for them.
Right. Except for when your mom does your laundry.
- Don't put that in the article. - Why not?
It's the truth, isn't it? Great writers should tell the truth.
Are you lecturing me on writing now? What do you know about it?
She happens to be a poet.
Really? Anything I would've read?
No. None of it has been published.
I see.
I don't think you do.
You publish your books, which are full of misinformation,
and yet people read them.
They admire you, they interview you.
Whereas everything I write I have to keep to myself.
Try writing something and not showing it to anyone,
then you'll know what real loneliness feels like.
- I think this interview is over. - I wish we hadn't come.
- I wish you hadn't either. - You're a dick.
Never meet your heroes.
So, I heard whisperings the poem is about me.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would now like to introduce my son...
William Austin Dickinson,
who has composed a piece of verse in tribute to this grand event.
Yeah.
Yeah. So...
I wrote a poem.
"The wheels of destiny Have run their course"
Amherst is getting the iron horse
Yes, Amherst gets a train at last
We used to go slow, but now we'll go fast
Through woods and hills The train will romp
We'll build it a bridge To get over the swamp
The train will carry all the people Red-skinned savages and Negroes
So, I can't wait to ride the train And after that I'll ride it again
"Again"
Good rhyme at the end there.
I held my legs together when he was trying to be born.
Mom, what are you talking about?
Because I was scared and your father wasn't home.
So I held my legs together a bit too long to keep him in there.
I think now that may have been a mistake.
Writing poetry is hard.
Maybe I should have asked you to cut the ribbon instead.
Or maybe you should have just asked Emily.
I thought I'd find you here.
I never mean to hurt you, Emily.
People hurt each other all the time just by proximity.
I'd say it's the greatest danger of civilization.
It will cost a little extra.
And the ride won't be as fast.
But...
I will have them lay the tracks around the old fellow here.
Hey, Dad,
you know what I love about trees?
What?
The root system.
Under the earth.
It's just as big as the tree.
It's like... a mirror image but hidden.
So, right now, you and I, we're actually between two trees.
One tree we can see...
and the other upside down.
Invisible.
Like a secret.
Mr. String Bean, how was your day?
Hey, Henry, you're the only authentic living human
that lives life to the marrow.
Well, thank you. But I already know that.
That woman was wrong about you.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Cup.
She said that you were a phony.
But she's the phony.
I know that. But you know women...