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Major Themes of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” like many of Frost's poems, explores the theme of the individual caught between nature and civilization. The speaker's location on the border between civilization and wilderness echoes a common theme throughout American literature.
The speaker is drawn to the beauty and allure
of the woods, which represent nature, but has obligations—“promises to
keep”—which draw him away from nature and back to society and the world of men.
The speaker is thus faced with a choice of whether to give in to the allure of
nature, or remain in the realm of society. Some critics have interpreted the
poem as a meditation on death—the woods represent the allure of death, perhaps
suicide, which the speaker resists in order to return to the mundane tasks
which order daily life.
Critical
Response
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” was
included in Frost's volume New Hampshire, for which he won the first of four
Pulitzer prizes. Critics generally agree that its central theme is the
speaker's dilemma in choosing between the allure of nature and the
responsibilities of everyday life in human society. However, the ambiguity of
the poem has lead to extensive critical debate.
Some conclude that the speaker chooses, by
the end of the poem, to resist the temptations of nature and return to the
world of men. Others, however, argue that the speaker's repetition of the last
line “And miles to go before I sleep,” suggests an indecisiveness as to whether
or not he will, in fact, “keep” the “promises” by which he is obligated to
return to society. Many have pointed out that this “ambiguity” is in part what
makes the poem great. Another standard interpretation is that the speaker is
contemplating suicide—the woods, “lovely, dark, and deep,” represent the allure
of death as a means of escape from the mundane duties of daily life. Still
others, however, such as Philip L. Gerber, argue that “Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening” is most importantly a “lyric” poem, which should be appreciated
in terms of its formal, metrical qualities, such as the complex, interlocking
rhyme scheme, rather than its content or “meaning.”
Gerber notes that “Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening” is “widely regarded, metrically, as Frost's most perfect poem.”
Critics also point to the mood or tone of the poem, as created by its formal
properties, as one of a person caught up in a reverie; the hypnotic quality of
the repeated closing lines, in particular, suggests a chant or spell. James
Hepburn noted that the inability of critics to secure a particular meaning of
the poem is due to the quality by which “It is a poem of undertones and
overtones rather than of meaning.” Critical debate over the meaning and
significance of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” rages on, but few
question the status of the poem as one of the greatest in American literature.
Donald J. Greiner has observed of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” that
“Its deceptive simplicity, its ambiguity, and its interlocking rhyme scheme
have been so lauded that it is now one of the most explicated American poems.”
In Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, the
narrator passes through the woods on a snowy evening, but stops for the natural
beauty. Since the horse gives the harness bells a shake, the narrator
conjectures that his horse must think him crazy to stop by strange woods on a
snowy evening. Ultimately, the narrator chooses to go on with his journey
instead of watching the lovely scene.
Scene
The central setting in this poem is woods on
a snowy evening .In this poem, it should be winter, and the daylight is
dimming. In addition, the narrator lingers between the lake and the woods.
Also, there is a village as well as a farmhouse nearby in which the owner of
the woods lives , which expands the scene from what the narrator sees (e.g.,
the woods and the lake) to what he does not see (e.g., the village and the
farmhouse).
Implication
The scene in the woods is important to the
narrator. He is totally hypnotized by the falling snow and distracted from his
duty by the natural beauty, which is the reason why he stops by the lovely
woods. However, the repetition of the final two lines implicates that the
narrator still values keeping a promise. He is responsible and lives up to the
promises that have been made.
Personification
In
this poem, the only instance of personification is found in the description of
the horse. The horse is impatient and forces the narrator to move on, showing a
human emotion and taking a human action.
Contrast
The
poem comprises contrasts between appreciating and non-appreciating nature and
how the narrator feels toward his duty and desire.
To begin with, contrary to the narrator’s
intention of stopping by the woods, it is unclear whether the owner of the
woods wants to watch the scene, creating a contrast in which the narrator is
appreciating nature while the owner of the woods is not obviously doing so.
Also, the narrator’s horse is not capable of adoring the nature but instead
forces its master to move on, making a contrast with the narrator, who is
enchanted by the beauty of nature.
Furthermore, the beauty of the scene is
attractive to the narrator while his duty is not enchanting to him. The scene
is so fascinating to the narrator that he is distracted from his obligations;
on the other hand, the narrator’s mundane life, as is implied in the last
couplet, holds little attraction for him, since the repetition of the last line
serves as a reminder that urges him to move on.
Symbolism
In the
last stanza of this poem, it is argued that the woods symbolize death because
of the ambience of gloom from the “lovely, dark and deep” woods, yet it is also
suggested that the narrator’s trip represent life, and hence it is his time to
sleep that signifies a person’s time to die. Though there is no certain
conclusion as to which statement is correct, it may be justified to argue that
the poem is death-related.
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