48 pages ā¢ 1 hour read
Michael FinkelA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
āIt has a name, Little Pond, often called Little North Pond, though the hermit doesnāt know it. Heās stripped the world to his essentials, and proper names are not essential. He knows the season, intimately, its every gradation. He knows the moon, a sliver less than half tonight, waning. Typically, heād await the new moonādarker is betterābut his hunger had become critical. He knows the hour and minute. Heās wearing an old windup watch to ensure that he budgets enough time to return before daybreak. He doesnāt know, at least not without calculating, the year or the decade.ā
Finkel initially keeps the reader in suspense about the hermitās identity but foreshadows almost all his methods in Chapter 1. Knight ignores location names and relies on natural timekeeping unless it is vital to his raids, like the windup watch. He looks to the moon for optimal cover but must compensate after staying at his campsite all winter. Finkel elaborates on the hermitās reasoning after meeting him in person.
āThe man is wearing new-looking blue jeans, a hooded gray sweatshirt beneath a nice Columbia jacket, and sturdy work boots. Itās like he has just gone shopping at the mall. His backpack is from L. L. Bean. Only his eyeglasses, with chunky plastic frames, seem outdated. Thereās no dirt on him anywhere, and little more than a shading of stubble on his chin. He has no noticeable body odor. His thinning hair, mostly covered by his wool cap, is neatly cropped. His skin is strangely pale, with several scabs on his wrists. Heās a little over six feet tall and broad-shouldered, maybe one hundred and eighty pounds.ā
Knightās unremarkable appearance confuses law enforcement to the point that Officer Diane Vance believes that the North Pond hermit was a common thief all along. Eventually, the reader learns why Knight looks so average: He cleans up and wears ordinary clothing as part of his camouflage, and he never finds a replacement for his original glasses. The trees at his campsite protect him from sunburn, but the barely healed scars on his hands are the result of aging.
āThe sounds passing through his mouth are stutter and clanky, an old engine struggling to turn over, each syllable a chore.ā
Vanceās interrogation of Knight is the first conversation Knight has in 27 years. Itās the readerās first sign that Knights conversational style is unusual, as his word choice is labored and book-like. Later, some doubtful residents believe his vocal cords should have withered from lack of use.