STOPPING BY
WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING
-Robert
Frost
On a dark winter evening, the
narrator stops his sleigh to watch the snow falling in the woods. At first he
worries that the owner of the property will be upset by his presence, but then
he remembers that the owner lives in town, and he is free to enjoy the beauty
of the falling snow. The sleigh horse is confused by his master’s behavior —
stopping far away from any farmhouse — and shakes his harness bells in
impatience. After a few more moments, the narrator reluctantly continues on his
way.
In terms of text, this poem
is remarkably simple: in sixteen lines, there is not a single three-syllable
word and only sixteen two-syllable words. In terms of rhythmic scheme and form,
however, the poem is surprisingly complex. The poem is made up of four stanzas,
each with four stressed syllables in iambic meter. Within an individual stanza,
the first, second, and fourth lines rhyme (for example, “know,” “though,” and
“snow” of the first stanza), while the third line rhymes with the first,
second, and fourth lines of the following stanza (for example, “here” of the
first stanza rhymes with “queer,” “near,” and “year” of the second stanza).
One of Frost’s most famous
works, this poem is often touted as an example of his life work. As such, the
poem is often analyzed to the minutest detail, far beyond what Frost himself
intended for the short and simple piece. In reference to analyses of the work,
Frost once said that he was annoyed by those “pressing it for more than it
should be pressed for. It means enough without its being pressed…I don’t say
that somebody shouldn’t press it, but I don’t want to be there.”
The poem was
inspired by a particularly difficult winter in New Hampshire when Frost was
returning home after an unsuccessful trip at the market. Realizing that he did
not have enough to buy Christmas presents for his children, Frost was
overwhelmed with depression and stopped his horse at a bend in the road in
order to cry. After a few minutes, the horse shook the bells on its harness,
and Frost was cheered enough to continue home.
The narrator
in the poem does not seem to suffer from the same financial and emotional
burdens as Frost did, but there is still an overwhelming sense of the
narrator’s unavoidable responsibilities. He would prefer to watch the snow
falling in the woods, even with his horse’s impatience, but he has “promises to
keep,” obligations that he cannot ignore even if he wants to. It is unclear
what these specific obligations are, but Frost does suggest that the narrator
is particularly attracted to the woods because there is “not a farmhouse near.”
He is able to enjoy complete isolation.
Frost’s
decision to repeat the final line could be read in several ways. On one hand,
it reiterates the idea that the narrator has responsibilities that he is
reluctant to fulfill. The repetition serves as a reminder, even a mantra, to
the narrator, as if he would ultimately decide to stay in the woods unless he
forces himself to remember his responsibilities. On the other hand, the
repeated line could be a signal that the narrator is slowly falling asleep.
Within this interpretation, the poem could end with the narrator’s death,
perhaps as a result of hypothermia from staying in the frozen woods for too
long.
The
narrator’s “promises to keep” can also be seen as a reference to traditional
American duties for a farmer in New England. In a time and a place where hard
work is valued above all things, the act of watching snow fall in the woods may
be viewed as a particularly trivial indulgence. Even the narrator is aware that
his behavior is not appropriate: he projects his insecurities onto his horse by
admitting that even a work animal would “think it queer.”
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