BTP Book Club discussion
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The Stranger in the Woods
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
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Big 10 Book Club
“The Stranger in the Woods” by Michael Finkel
1. Consider the lifestyle that Knight leads in North Pond: regarding his “moral code”, what are his essentials? What does he value the most?
2. What did you think of “the locals’ attitudes who were victimized by The Hermit’s burglaries?
3. Finkel notes the irony of Knight’s fame in relation to his desire for solitude. What did you think of the history of hermits and the pathology of self-seclusion examples he provided?
4. How does your recent pandemic lockdown experience affect your reception of Knight's story of his [self- imposed] isolation?
5. How does the movement from complete solitude at age 20 to imprisonment at age 47 affect Knight’s morale? What tactics from his time in the woods does he use to pass the time?
6. Finkel is unable/ unwilling to cheapen or package Knight’s experience but identifies him as a; hermit, a thief, a prisoner, a purist, a recluse, a son. How does Knight identify himself?
7. How does Knight’s time in the woods affect his understanding of human/ social interactions?
8. If you've fantasized about "running away from it all," what is most appealing or unappealing of how Knight did this?
We are meeting on Monday, June 1 at 6pm
To those not on Facebook, Todd will text you the Zoom URL.
~ See you then!