Robert Frost was an excellent writer who enjoyed threading subtle irony into his poems.

This

often caused them to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Upon closely analyzing them, the true

meanings are revealed for a more comprehensive understanding of the poem. Two of his most

famous works (and most misread) are “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “Road Not

Taken.” Both works have striking similarities and differences in their setting and imagery, mood

and tone, and symbolism and theme.

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California in 1874 and lived there until he was 11. His

father's death was the reason for his departure from the west coast and greatly impacted him. He

was valedictorian of his high school, a position he shared with his future wife, Eleanor White.

Along with the beautiful New England scenery, his wife was his inspiration for writing poetry.

Although he was enrolled in college, he never earned a formal degree. His writing style is

referred to as Transcendalist and Modernist. This may be because "his work is infused with

layers of ambiguity and irony" (Academy of American Poets). Some of his most prominent and

well known literary works other than "Road not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods" are "A Boy's

Will" and "North of Boston." He received the Pulitzer Prize four times for his outstanding

poetry.

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a classic example of how Robert Frost’s poetry is

often misunderstood. On the surface it appears as a timeless poem about a horse rider on his way

in “lovely” woods and snow (Frost, Stopping Woods, 13). This simple, yet eloquent poem

contains a further, darker meaning which is a reference to suicide and the temptation of death. In

his book, “College English,” Edward H. Rosenberry compares the speaker in the poem to the

distraught hero, Odysseus. He notes, that they are similar to each other in respect that both

characters’ salvation “depends on his ability to keep moving towards his goal, to resist the
blandishments of easy satisfaction in the here and now” (Rosenberry, 527) In “Stopping By

Woods On A Snowy Evening” the main character examines the forest around him and deciphers

that he remembers the place. He then mentions his horse, who must find it “queer” (line 5) to

have stopped in such a place without a shed nearby. This horse shakes his harness bells, which

promptly reminds the rider that he has “promises to keep, promises to keep” (Lines 16-17). All

of this is a reflection upon obligations and desires (suicide being the desire to end obligations).

Another of such a misunderstood work happens to be “The Road Not Taken.” This poem is often

used to tell about those who tread upon the road which was less “traveled by” (line 19) and was

less traveled. That is the complete opposite of what the poem actually refers to. The 16th line

remarks that he says this with a “sigh” referring to him lying. Jay Parini comments, “that he took

the road less traveled, …a fraudulent position, hence the sigh” (Columbia Literary History of the

United States, 3). Ultimately, this is a poem dealing yet again with decision making and implying

that once you take one road, you cannot go back. The reader ponders whether the “road not

taken” would have been better, yet he cannot find out, so he accepts the lie that his is probably

more beneficial.

Both poems are similar in their setting and imagery. In “Stopping by Woods” the setting is fairly

plain, a “house in a village” (line 2) that is between “woods and a frozen lake” (line 7). The time

which the horse rider is in this location is referred to as “the darkest evening of the year” (line 8).

This line indicated that the day is December 21st, the winter solstice which is the longest

(darkest) day of the year. All surrounding the main character and narrator, the woodsman, is a

land filled with imagery. Lines such as “fill up with snow” and “easy wind and downy flake”

both create vivid images of the scene going on. When Frost writes, “The woods are lovely, dark,

and deep” (line 13) he summarizes the mystery of the forest and creates a mesmerizing scene.
Furthermore, the setting in a road not taken is vaguer. However, the setting is the most important

element of the poem. The main line introduces the setting, “Two roads diverged in a yellow

wood.” You are given a mental picture of two roads, and find out later that they were both

equally worn. The setting is metaphoric to life and the paths life takes us. Also, both poems use

the setting as a reference to real-life events and decisions. Finally, they both use the woods as the

setting, or a forest because it gives the reader some insight upon Frost's interests and provides for

a flexible setting that everyone can relate to.

The mood in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is mystifying yet simple. Tension is

created by the need to make a decision. Furthermore, the mood should not be mistaken as

melancholy, but rather "lovely" (line 13) with an undertone of danger. David Galens describes it

as, "enchanting in the final stanza" because of the repetition. The poem's tone has a certain

urgency yet caution to it. The speaker ponders on what is best while his horse (the conscious)

seems to make him appear distraught.

On the contrary, Road Not Taken seems to bask in a delightful and hopeful mood. However, the

tone is also cautious of the decisions to be made and notices that there is no turning back. The

hint of irony comes in when the speaker mentions that he "shall be telling this with a

sigh/somewhere ages and ages hence" (lines 16-17). This is because the speaker's tone becomes

deceitful in the way that he will recall this story in the way that best benefits him. This pokes fun

at over exaggerations and man's tendency to twist stories.

Frost has been impacted by many tragedies since young. First, his father died and then his

son committed suicide. "Stopping by Woods" seems to reflect upon these tragic events and

include some eerie themes and references to such events. John T. Ogilvie suggests that “sleep”

(in the last two lines) may refer to “influences that are at work” (pg.1). The poem is allegorical;

Sleep symbolizes death and the speaker is contemplating whether to “sleep” or continue on with
his life. His horse, who is reason and the connection to civilization, mockingly protests.

“Between the woods and frozen lake” (line 7) is similar to the saying, “between a rock and a

hard place.” Finally, the speaker comes to the conclusion that he has “promises to keep / and

miles to go before I sleep.” This symbolized the decision that the speaker believes that his life

most continue and that he will live it through (although he may not want to). Ultimately, the

theme of this poem is dealing with situations which require tough decision making.

“Road Not Taken” is a less dramatic poem with a similar theme. This poem also deals

with making a decision (because he “could not travel both”; line 2) but adds in the ironic element

of false story-telling. One road represents on path of life that the author could follow, whereas

the other represents another choice. Both are “just as fair” (line 6), which seems to confuse most

readers. These roads allude to equal choices in life, neither which is evidentially more drastic

than the next. However, these roads will take the reader to another (“way leads on to way” line

14) which causes him to doubt ever coming back. “Stopping by Woods” exemplifies a situation

where one decision is highly more erratic than the other, but both seem to charm the speaker. He

then makes the correct decision, whilst in “Road Not Taken,” the speaker merely claims that he

has made the right decision. The “sigh” in line 16 foretells of the situation where the speaker

decorates his saga by professing that he took the “one less traveled by” which made him unique,

or different. In fact, he is a mere twister of tales.

Claude Monet, a famous painter, once stated, "The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the

source of my inspiration." Robert Frost was although believed to be influenced by nature and

often referred to himself as a "New Englander" (Canada). He took this inspiration and presented
his poems to a wide variety of audiences. One of his works, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy

Evening,” wraps a veil of mesmerization around a simple yet enthralling story of a horseman in

the woods. The element of nature also persists in “Road Not Traveled,” another of Frost’s most

misinterpreted poems, which relates roads to decisions. Both poems exemplify similar, yet

different settings and imagery, mood and tone, and symbolism and themes. Ultimately, it is their

allusions to life are what captivate readers the most.