Frost‘s poem is simple in language, form, and context. The poem deals with the theme of nature and one man’s love of the beauty of the woods on a snowy afternoon. It is the darkest evening of the year, but the man stops to admire the lovely woods. Literally, the poem deals with one man’s appreciation of nature. Figuratively, the heavy metaphor in the poem suggests a darker meaning. The heavy metaphor is an element of death in the poem. Frost uses symbolism, imagery, and figurative language to bring out the theme of the beauty of nature.
The speaker stops to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the woods. He does not want to leave the compelling scenery. The poet uses rich imagery to create a picture of the woods filling up with the snow. The horse symbolizes a challenge to the speaker: “He gives his harness bells a shake/To ask if there is some mistake,” (Frost, lines 9-10). The horse wants to end the journey as quickly as possible. The woods symbolize the true beauty in its natural state, and the changes in the city. Frost stops to enjoy the unblemished beauty of the woods. The horse reminds him that as much as death brings comfort from pain, he has more to do with his life.
The poem has sixteen lines in four stanzas. Stanza one follows the aaba rhyming pattern; stanza two follows a bbcb rhyming pattern; the third stanza has a ccdc rhyming pattern and the fourth stanza follows a dddd pattern. Frost uses this pattern to add form and structure to the poem, and forces one to look carefully at these end rhymes.
In concluding, the poem presents the speaker’s encounter with the beauty of nature. On one hand, the poem’s literal meaning is an admiration of nature. On the other hand, the repetition of the final lines of the poem reflects the euphemistic reference to death. One cannot help but appreciate the beauty of nature in the poem as the speaker describes the darkest evening in the year and the calm serenity of the evening.
Works Cited
Frost, Robert, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Kelly Mays (Ed.) The Norton
Introduction to Literature – Shorter Eleventh Edition. p.1091. W.W. Norton &
Company, Inc., New York. Print
