Freedom vs. Confinement

Where it surfaces

• On the Willebroek Canal

  The bargee's life is portrayed as a blend of travel and home, offering liberty and a timeless existence, contrasting with office-bound routines.

• The Royal Sport Nautique

  The narrator contrasts the liberating joy of boating with the confining drudgery of commerce, celebrating the freedom to pursue genuine passions.

• At Maubeuge

  The omnibus driver's longing for travel contrasts with his daily routine, highlighting the tension between a settled life and the desire for adventure.

• On the Sambre Canalised: To Landrecies

  The narrator's determination to continue despite the old man's mockery and the physical hardships of locks and rain reflects a struggle for autonomy.

• The Oise in Flood

  The canoe's swift movement and the narrator's sense of liberation contrast with the cold, fearful start and the lurking danger of the river, embodying a struggle between freedom and constraint.

• Changed Times

  The narrator describes a paradoxical freedom found in the mindless, ecstatic stupor of paddling, where the self is liberated from conscious thought, yet also confined within a detached, isolated state of being.

• Back to the World

  The narrator contrasts the freedom of the river journey with the desire to re-enter the constraints and comforts of civilized life.

• Epilogue to An Inland Voyage

  The Arethusa's arrest and imprisonment in a bare cell contrast sharply with the freedom of the open road, illustrating the tension between liberty and bureaucratic control.

• The Donkey, the Pack, and the Packsaddle

  The narrator's choice of a donkey over a horse reflects a desire for independence and simplicity, contrasting with the constraints of conventional travel.

• Upper Gévaudan

  The narrator reflects on the freedom of the open road versus the confinement of civilization, finding liberation in the harsh conditions.

• Our Lady of the Snows

  The narrator contrasts his secular, wandering life with the disciplined, silent existence of the Trappist monks, reflecting on the voluntary confinement of the monastery.

• Father Apollinaris

  The narrator's fear and hesitation as he approaches the monastery, a place of silence and religious discipline, contrasts with his secular, wandering life.

• The Monks

  The narrator reflects on the monastic rule as a model of wisdom, dividing the day into manageable portions and bringing peace of mind, contrasting with the mismanagement of life outside.

• The Boarders

  The narrator contrasts his own hedonistic freedom with the strict, ascetic life of the Trappists, and the boarders' transition from military life to monastic confinement is highlighted.

• Upper Gévaudan (Continued)

  The narrator contrasts the freedom of open-air life with the confinement of inns and civilization, celebrating the independence of the traveler.

• Across the Goulet

  The narrator's struggle with Modestine over the shortcut symbolizes the tension between human will and animal resistance, and the desire for open paths.

• A Night Among the Pines

  The narrator contrasts the freedom of sleeping under the stars with the confinement of indoor life, celebrating his escape from 'the Bastille of civilisation.'

• The Country of the Camisards

  The narrator's open-air journey and the Camisards' fight for religious freedom are set against the persecution and imprisonment inflicted by Du Chayla and the authorities.

• Pont de Montvert

  The Camisards fight for religious freedom against the oppressive confinement imposed by Du Chayla and the Catholic authorities, symbolized by the prison-house and the 'vine' torture device.

• In the Valley of the Tarn

  The narrator camps in fear of discovery, hiding like a hunted Camisard, contrasting the Camisards' confident freedom in their faith.

• In the Valley of the Mimente

  The narrator's discomfort with the barking dog symbolizes the conflict between the freedom of the open road and the constraints of sedentary, respectable society.

• Farewell, Modestine!

  The narrator sells Modestine to gain freedom, but immediately feels the emotional weight of losing her companionship.

• Steerage Types

  The passengers are physically confined on the ship and psychologically confined by their weaknesses, yet they seek freedom in a new land.

• Personal Experience and Review

  The narrator feels both liberated from his former identity and confined by the expectations and judgments of those around him.

• New York

  The narrator reflects on America as a land of freedom and open possibility, contrasting with the constraints of European society.

• Across the Plains

  The vast open plains contrast with the confined spaces of the train and the social constraints faced by travelers, highlighting the tension between freedom and limitation.

• The Plains of Nebraska

  The open plains offer a sense of freedom but also confinement through monotony and isolation, as the settler is trapped in a 'huge sameness.'

• Mexicans, Americans, and Indians

  Contrasts the apparent freedom of Mexican life with the economic bondage imposed by American landholders and credit systems.

• II: First Impressions of Silverado

  The journey from the lowlands to the heights symbolizes a liberation from indifference, while the abandoned mining town suggests a past confinement to labor and industry.

• The Return

  The narrator and Fanny are trapped by endless delays and the whims of Kelmar, contrasting their desire for freedom with the confining nature of the business transaction.

• The Act of Squatting

  The squatters find both liberation and constraint in the ruined mine: freedom in the open air and nature, but confinement in the dilapidated, cramped quarters.

• The Sea Fogs

  The narrator experiences a sense of liberation from the fog's confinement when viewing it from above, yet also feels threatened by its encroachment.

• The Toll House

  The Toll House is a place of idleness and confinement for consumptive boarders, yet the narrator finds a paradoxical freedom in its dreamy, timeless slumber.

• A Starry Drive

  The contrast between the open, star-filled sky and the confined, 'shattered, moon-pierced barrack' of Silverado underscores the tension between the freedom of the natural world and the limitations of human habitation.

• Episodes in the Story of a Mine

  The narrator's squatter life offers a sense of freedom, but the arrival of Ronalds brings a humbling reminder of legal and social constraints.

• Toils and Pleasures

  The narrator enjoys the freedom of outdoor life and the open platform, contrasting with the confined, cribbed existence in a house.

• II

  The contrast between the freedom of the forest and the confinement of city life is explored, along with the false hermit's pretense of savage freedom.

• The Education of an Engineer

  Stevenson praises the open-air life of an engineer but laments the return to the office desk, balancing genuine life with drudgery.

• Cockermouth

  The narrator's desire to choose his own route is overridden by the waitress's insistence on the conventional path to Keswick, highlighting the tension between personal liberty and social expectation.

• Forest Notes

  The forest offers a sense of liberation from societal constraints, yet also imposes its own boundaries and limitations.

• Morality

  The forest represents liberation from societal constraints, duty, and moral scruples, allowing a life of free movement and escape from the 'brawling world'.

• Davos in Winter

  The mountain valley, Alpine winter, and invalid's weakness combine to create a prison-like effect, with rigidly confined walks and constant surveillance.

• Health and Mountains

  The invalid's choice to seek the mountains is framed as an act of bold defiance against confinement, offering a sense of agency and self-respect absent in traditional sickroom life.

• Alpine Diversions

  The invalids are described as simmering in a 'mountain prison,' while the wandering artists embody the freedom of the open road.