The Stranger in the Woods

North Pond lies on the eastern portion of Maine in Kennebec County, which includes Knight’s hometown of Albion, the site of his campsite near the township of Rome, and the state capital of Augusta. The population of Rome barely breaks one thousand people. Residences surround the lake with the Pine Tree Camp and adjacent Little North Pond at the southern end. Knight’s camp lies on the southeast within The Jarsey, a patch of rugged terrain with thorny bushes and boulders that repel even experienced hikers. The town is rustic with no brand-name retailers, family names that date back to the original French colonizers, and a culture that promoted privacy and lax enforcement of boundaries. North Pond residents have a collective personality in the book and are often referred to as relaxed and forgiving toward Knight. A few residents consider Knight a criminal. 

A long, whimsical beard is a common accessory for a fictional hermit, but Knight’s facial hair is solely practical. Knight trims his beard before raids to decrease suspicion and shaves it off during the summer to keep cool. During the winter as well as mosquito season and windy conditions, he would grow his beard out to specific lengths for warmth and protection. The only time he lets his beard grow all the way out is in prison, and even then, it has practical purposes: To keep track of time and to discourage people from talking to him.

Knight frames his family’s focus on toughness, cleverness, and self-reliance as Yankee Ingenuity, a New England colloquialism a la “Southern Pride.” His inventiveness is on full display at the campsite, as he reuses magazine covers as water-resistant flooring, powers portable TVs with car batteries, and turns ice into fresh water using propane. Other North Pond-area residents refer to themselves as Yankees, which reflects how the area’s heritage dates to the European colonies.

When recounting his childhood, Knight remembers gathering a bouquet of lilacs for his mother as one of the few outward displays of affection in his family. He mentions his fondness for their color and odor as well as the belief that he had “found something new” (71). Lilacs are also one of the first flowers to bloom after the harsh winter season, and Knight tells Finkel that he wouldn’t talk to him until these flowers bloom, demonstrating how he keeps time through nature. Finkel buys a sprig of lilacs before meeting Knight in person as a symbolic gesture but finds out that his mother’s home has an abundance of that flower. Lilacs represent both affection and the passage of time.