like the woods are calling him to rest for a while He seems tired from his journey This desire to stay in the woods shows modern men s wish for rest Sometimes people become sad and tired of life tired of duties tired of expectations They want a break from everything The speaker of the poem feels the same This simple nature and the feelings of modern men are Frost s modern qualities Conflict of the Human Heart Modern poetry often focuses on the inner mind Frost also does this In the poem the speaker faces a conflict between rest and responsibility He wants to enjoy the beauty of the woods He says The woods are lovely dark and deep It feels like the speaker wants to take a long rest maybe even a final rest But then he remembers his duties He says But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep These lines express the modern struggle very clearly A person may wish for peace escape or rest but responsibilities keep pulling him back Frost shows that this conflict is a part of every modern life Use of Symbols Frost s symbols show the thoughts and feelings of modern men The woods symbolize peace escape and death The journey through the snowy woods symbolizes the journey of life itself The snow cold and darkness show the loneliness that modern people often feel The horse also becomes a symbol When the horse shakes its harness bells it reminds the speaker that stopping here is unusual The speaker says He the little horse gives his harness bells a shake The sound of the bells is like the voice of common sense It is telling him to continue his journey These simple symbols help Frost express modern ideas through natural images Simple Language and Deep Thought Many modern poets use difficult language But Frost is different His words are simple and clear The poem sounds like a soft conversation However the ideas behind the simple language are modern like tiredness desire for escape and the weight of responsibility This combination of simple language and deep thought is one of Frost s most important modern qualities The Final Message The final message of the poem is very modern Life is a difficult journey There are many promises and responsibilities that everyone must fulfill The speaker repeats this line And miles to go before I sleep Here miles to go means he still has to fulfill his promises and duties This idea of life as a difficult journey is a major theme in modern literature For these reasons Robert Frost is a powerful modern poet This poem proves that Frost can use a peaceful rural setting to express the deep struggles of modern life His poetry is simple on the surface but full of modern meaning beneath it