What is the historical reality surrounding the question of whether Robert Frost fought in World War One? Recent research and scholarship suggest that while Frost was of age to serve in WW1 (he was born in 1874, and the war began in 1914), he did not enlist in the United States Army, Navy, or Marine Corps. Rather, he was living in Derry, New Hampshire at the time, and led a rather quiet and quiet lifestyle.
It is possible that Frost would have supported enlistment in WWI had he been of a different age or ethnicity. He was an outspoken opponent of segregation and had been since his college days. Moreover, he was a modernist poet who used his writing to explore the depths of human experience, including the war experience.
Only two of Frost’s biographies (by Jay Parini and Malcolm Cowley) mention the possibility of Frost serving in World War One. Parini suggests that Frost was “too old” to enlist, and Cowley suggests that Frost may have felt too isolated by the war to want to partake in it in any meaningful way. Both authors, however, do not make clear whether Frost ever considered enlisting.
Interestingly, Frost’s own writings from around this period contain no direct reference to WW1 or to any engagements in it. There are some references to war in his poetry, but these are general and could easily refer to any war. For example, in his poem “The Road Not Taken,” Frost writes, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood/ And sorry I could not travel both/ And be one traveler, long I stood/ And looked down one as far as I could.”
Frost also wrote some essays on the war, although none of these mentioned his own possible enlistment. Overall, it is safe to say that Frost did not serve in WW I, though it is unclear whether he was of a different age or ethnicity, he had considered enlisting, or whether he simply felt too isolated by the war to want to take part.
Conditions of WWI
World War One was fought between 1914 and 1918, mainly in Europe, and involved more countries, soldiers, and casualties than any previous war. It was an unprecedented conflict. The armies fought using new weapons, some of which were more destructive than their predecessors, leading to catastrophic losses and destruction on both sides.
The conditions of life in WWI were arduous for those in the trenches. Soldiers had to endure the daily hardships of shelling, gas attacks and the ever-present mud and damp. The physical hardships were compounded by psychological stress, caused by the fear of being killed or injured and the sense of being isolated and forgotten in the trenches.
Battles took place on many front lines, stretching as far afield as Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and witnessed by millions. There were a variety of strategies employed by the attacking forces, including blitzkriegs, hit and run raids, guerilla warfare and the use of chemical weapons such as mustard gas.
In addition to the physical and psychological carnage of WWI, civilian populations in many countries were subjected to food shortages, overcrowding and, in some instances, stark poverty. Others were forced into exile as refugees, with entire families struggling to find a place of safety from the chaos and confusion of war.
Throughout this period, troops were repeatedly sent “over the top” and into the hail of bullets and shells, many of them to their deaths. Leadership was often callous, with troops seen as expendable elements on the battlefield.
Effects on Robert Frost
Given the extremities of the conditions of WWI, it is quite likely that Robert Frost was deeply affected by events unfolding on the world stage. Many of Frost’s poems, such as “The Road Not Taken” have an underlying theme of war and the suffering that accompanies it.
Throughout his life, Frost wrote a number of poems which contributed to the idea of war, or that made reference to it, either directly or indirectly. “The Road Not Taken”, a poem often interpreted as being about individual decision-making, could also be a reference to the decision to go to war which every citizen was faced with.
In “Mending Wall” Frost also perhaps hints at the effects of war on societies. The poem tells the story of neighbours rebuilding a wall, which one of them claims “is broken down by hooves of animals”. This could be seen as a metaphor for the breakdown of communities caused by war, and the need for repair and for both old and new relationships to be formed.
Frost also wrote some protest poems that could be read as anti-war, such as “The Death of the Hired Man”. In this poem, Frost expresses his sympathy for a worker who has no real choice but to enlist.
Finally, Frost also wrote some poems in which he gives voice to the suffering of soldiers. In “Out, Out —” , for example, he vividly depicts the pain of a youth who has been injured in a sawmill accident and who “knew no more”.
Reflections on WWI
In addition to his poems, Frost also made some reflections related to World War One. In a 1915 letter to the editor of The Independent concerning the war, he wrote: “The thing that has happened is that there has been in this war, as in all wars, much heroic courage and much heroic patience, but no victory”.
Moreover, in his essay “The Silent Men”, Frost wrote about the soldiers who had “come back empty-handed or crippled”. And throughout his life, he often asked why people chose to go to war and freely accepted war’s inhumane conditions.
In this respect, it is possible that Frost indirectly tried to discourage enlistment in the war. Perhaps, even though he did not actively enlist, Frost spoke out against WWI and its destructive effects. His remarks are thus a reminder that war is an intricate, deep-rooted phenomenon, and an expression of the complex relationship between humans, their beliefs, and the regimes and powers under which they live.
The Rising Debate
The debate of whether Robert Frost fought in WWI remains as perplexing today as it was nearly a century ago. With various accounts of the situation pieced together, Robert Frost may have harbored strong feeling of not wanting to take part in the war. At the same time, the newly rising information points to the notion of Frost being too old to join the army.
However, the new debate significantly heightens when taking Frost’s own poems, essays, letters and other writings into account. It raises a deeper issue, that of the moral consideration whether taking part in a war had a greater hold on Frost than the physical limits of age. It should be stated, ultimately, that no definitive answer could be provided as to why Frost did not fight in WWI.
In that tie, we analyze Frost’s feelings towards enrollment through his work. It is apparent that Frost held an anti-war sentiment, albeit from the sidelines, so it’s possible that he didn’t want to be part of war in any shape or form, regardless of his age or nationality. He also wrote protest poems, damning the horrors of war and too often the senseless lives lost.
In many respects, Frost clearly wanted to express his feelings towards the war. The tension Frost held within him throughout WWI was portrayed through his writings, and even in a letter to The Independent, he states “there has been in this war, as in all wars, much heroic courage and much heroic patience, but no victory”.
Conclusion
The evidence on whether Robert Frost fought in WWI is unclear. Although he was of age to fight in the war, Frost appears to have lived a quiet and uneventful life in New Hampshire at the time. Furthermore, there is no clear indication that he ever considered enlistment, or that he personally felt the effects of war.
However, despite the absence of concrete evidence, Frost’s work shows his understanding of the senselessness of war, and the toll it takes on human life. In this sense, Frost may have been silently protesting against the war and its effects on civilian populations and soldiers alike. Ultimately, however, it is hard to definitively answer whether Robert Frost fought in WWI or not.
