How does thoreau respond when people ask if he is lonely living alone in the woods

In "Walden; or Life in the Woods" Henry David Thoreau tells us about what is like to live a simple life in the woods. His nearest neighbor is a mile away and there is no house is visible from where he lives. He lives far away from society but feels no melancholy "There can be  no very black melancholy to him who lives in the midst of Nature and  has his senses still." He doesn't feel lonely or oppressed by solitude, moreover, he feels Nature's friendship and support. When he is asked if he is lonely he is tempted to reply that the whole earth is a point in space, and in the Milky Way. What we really need, is not to be near many men but to live close to the source of our lives. “How vast and profound  is the influence of the subtile powers of Heaven  and of Earth!”

the correct answer is option d. the nature of democracy. on november 19, 1863, president abraham lincoln delivered his famous gettysburg address in gettysburg, pennsylvania. in his speech, rather than focusing on details of the war (soldiers, casualties, aftermath of battle), lincoln invoked the very nature of democracy, that power ultimately comes from the people, when stating, “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish”. these words mean that democracy is a government by the people (citizens) in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by the people or by their elected representatives for the benefit of all citizens. the survival of democracy in the united states is one of the reasons why this speech so significant today.

the anecdote makes readers feel sorry for the man’s lack of heritage, then reminds readers that the man has an equally valuable heritage.