Thorough Thoreau

I love Thoreau's thorough discussion of both the state and characteristics of wild apples according to each month and season. In addition, I feel that he views apples as symbolic, both as a sign and warning of the approaching season, as well as remembrance of the season that preceded it. For example, he writes, "By the middle of July, green apples are so large as to remind us of coddling, and of the autumn" (294), implying that both the size and color of the apples reveal that summer is ending and autumn is rapidly approaching. I can only imagine the careful observation it takes to make such a notion! Later, he writes that apples "will have some red stains, commemorating the mornings and evenings it has witnessed; some dark and rusty blotches, in memory of the clouds and foggy, mildewy days that have passed over it; and a spacious field of green reflecting the general face of nature, - green even as the fields; or a yellow ground, which implies a milder flavor, - yellow as the harvest, or russet as the hills" (314). I'm fascinated by Thoreau's interpretation of apples' appearances in this way. Talk about performativity! So often individuals forget - or at least neglect the thought of - where their food comes from. Thoreau's detail of every possible day and weather condition apples endure as they grow and ripen in an orchard forces the reader to consider why apples appear in their sweet, crisp state as they do. Thoreau pays attention to every possible detail of a wild apple, and considers every detail handsome, or at least "redeeming." His thoroughness to apples instills a sense of appreciation, bewilderment, and desire to be attentive in his readers, or at least myself.