e he can take a rest.
“But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep…”
Here, Frost uses the calm and beautiful nature to focus on the human heart. The poem shows that we often want to escape from our duties, but cannot.
Nature and Human Suffering: In “Out, Out—” (1916), nature becomes the background of a tragic human event. The poem describes a young boy cutting wood with a buzz saw in a rural setting. The mountains and sunset create a calm and beautiful natural scene. But within this peaceful setting, tragedy suddenly strikes. The boy loses his hand and dies. The calm evening continues, and others soon return to their daily affairs. Frost writes:
“And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.”
Here, Frost uses the natural setting to focus on human loneliness and suffering. The quiet mountains, the falling sun, and even other people do not stop for the boy’s death. This shows how lonely we are.
Nature as a Teacher: In “The Oven Bird” (1916), Frost uses a small bird as a teacher who observes changes in nature. The bird sings that the flowers of spring are gone, and the world is now moving toward autumn (fall). Through this bird, Frost shows the truth of life — that time passes, beauty fades, and decline is natural. The changing seasons of nature reflect the changes in human life. Just like summer turns to autumn, youth turns to old age. Nature teaches us to accept the law of change.
Nature and Honest Work: In “Mowing” (1913), Frost presents the speaker as a farmer cutting grass with his scythe. He hears his scythe whispering and wonders what it says. In the end, he understands,
“The fact is the sweetest dream that labor knows.”
The whispering sound of the scythe is telling the truth about human life — that real joy comes from honest work, not from daydreaming about “easy gold.” Here, Frost uses a simple natural work of mowing grass to focus on the value of labor.
Nature and Human Loneliness: In “Desert Places” (1934), Frost shows a snowy field at night. The white snow covers everything, and he calls it “blanker whiteness.” Seeing this, he feels deep loneliness:
“The loneliness includes me unawares.”
The silent snow-covered field becomes a reflection of the poet’s own mind. He realizes that the emptiness inside him is even greater than the empty spaces in the universe. Frost uses nature here to express the loneliness and fear within human hearts.
In fine, Robert Frost’s nature is never separate from human life. The woods, birds, snow, and fields in his poems always speak about human emotions and experiences. Sometimes nature gives peace; sometimes it shows cruelty, change, or loneliness. Frost’s greatness lies in his ability to connect the natural world with human situations.
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