The narrator's claim that he loves society as much as most is not a very convincing one, even though he qualifies this statement later in the chapter. When he declares that he "might possibly sit out the sturdiest frequenter of the barroom, if my business called me thither," it is difficult to know if the narrator is serious; perhaps he is indulging in humor, perhaps self-parody. Despite his claims to the contrary, the narrator is not really a "society-loving" man; we need consider only how few visitors he enthusiastically describes to realize how much more he prefers solitude in nature to society. If the narrator seems to be straining to prove he is sociable, it is because of the author's intent for his book. Thoreau desires it to have a strong impact on society; to do this, he must create an attractive narrator. Hence Thoreau attempts to make him a more "regular" fellow by downplaying his preference for solitude.
That the narrator was not too inspired by visitors may be most clearly seen when we recall how many metaphors of rebirth appeared in the previous chapter; in "Visitors," there are none. Harmony with nature and ecstasy seemingly cease when the narrator greets visitors from town.
