His name, which relates to his work, suggests he is an amalgamation of many poor working men whom Thoreau knew. Thoreau finds her brave to cook so many successive dinners in that same stove. She seems to be compelled by the possibility of a simpler, easier life which Thoreau suggests but ultimately unable to make the arithmetic work out and the idea become a reality. The entire encounter is a metaphor for the effect Thoreau hopes his book will have on his reader. A projection of part of Thoreau's self in an imagined dialogue between Hermit and Poet.
Hermit wants to sit and philosophize.
He has nearly been resolved into the essence of things as he has ever been in his life when Poet interrupts him to go fishing. This represents the dialectical conflict between spiritual and animal natures. In the dialogue with Hermit, Poet simply wants to look at the sky and go fishing. He represents the animal nature in man, in his interest in the material aspects of life, and perhaps disappointingly to Thoreau, it is he who overcomes Hermit in their conflict. The cat's wings are really long matted fur which grow during the winter.