ng”
?
Or, how does Robert Frost use nature imagery to express the speaker’s thoughts and feelings in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”? ✪✪✪
In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (1923), Robert Frost (1874-1963) uses simple nature images to show the speaker’s inner world. At first, the poem looks like a simple journey of a man. He stops near a forest on a snowy evening. But Frost uses nature images like the woods, the snow, the wind, the darkness, the horse, and the quiet evening to show the speaker’s feelings. We understand the speaker’s feelings of peace, tiredness, loneliness, and responsibility. Frost’s nature is not just for beauty; he focuses on human feelings in his natural setting.
The Peaceful Woods: At the beginning, the speaker stops near a forest. Snow is falling on the trees. Everything is silent. He is completely alone with his horse. There are no people or farmhouses nearby. The scene is beautiful, cold, calm, and very lonely. The woods give him a calm, peaceful feeling. He enjoys watching the “woods fill up with snow.” Here, Frost uses nature to show the speaker’s feelings of peace and rest. The beauty of the woods touches his heart.
Nature as a Place of Escape: As the speaker stands there, he enjoys the silence and the falling snow. But the woods are not only beautiful. They are also lonely, dark, and deep.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.”
No one is there. No one is watching him. The cold, dark, empty woods look like a place where someone can die. The speaker’s wish to stay there longer hints at a deeper feeling. Maybe he is too tired and sad. He wants to escape from life completely. So, Frost uses the quiet, dark, and deep woods to show that the speaker wants rest from duties, perhaps an eternal rest.
The Little Horse: The speaker’s little horse plays an important role. As the speaker stops and thinks, the horse becomes confused. The horse thinks it is strange to stop there. Because it is a lonely, dangerous place, and there is no farmhouse nearby. He says:
“My little horse must think it queer.”
The speaker thinks his horse is shaking the harness bells to give him a warning. He says:
“He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.”
The horse shakes his harness bells as if to ask whether they should move on. So, the horse, a part of nature, becomes a symbol of his common sense. It reminds him that he cannot stay in the dark woods. He has promises to fulfill. He must continue his journey. Here, Frost uses nature to show the struggle between the speaker’s wish to rest and his duty to move on.
Nature and the Journey of Life: The speaker is traveling through the snow. His journey through nature becomes a symbol of the journey of life. The snowy road is cold and long. It is just like the difficult path of human life. Even though the peaceful woods attract him, he knows he cannot stop. He says:
“But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
In these lines, nature imagery becomes symbolic. “Miles” means he still has duties. “Sleep” means the final rest at the end of life. So, Frost uses nature to show the speaker’s thoughts and his sense of responsibility.
To sum up, Frost’s nature becomes both a beautiful escape and a reminder of life’s responsibilities. Frost teaches that even when we feel tired and wish to rest, we must continue our journey and complete our promises.
Continue Reading
Subscribe to access the full content
Upgrade to Premium