Robert Frost’s iconic poem The Road Not Taken is an emblem of personal struggle and strength as one chooses life’s paths. Frost wrote the poem in 1919 when he was 42, following complex events that shaped his life and writing; it is an important piece of literature which strongly reflects the influences of Frost’s life. First and foremost, Frost drew upon his literary roots of New England and the Romantic movement as well as exploring the writing of Emerson and Whitman. Additionally, his life’s work as a farmer, teacher, lecturer and journalist shaped his perspectives on life and the choices one faced. Further, he used his own life experiences and philosophies, emerging from childhood trauma and loss and his fascination with nature and the outdoors.
Frost’s life was complicated, filled with trauma, loss and quite a bit of wandering. He faced several hardships in his childhood, including the death of his father when he was 11, his mother’s mental illness and an unstable home life. He was deeply affected by these events and reflected them in his poetry. Frost was rooted in the New England soil, but his identity and sense of self- discovery was much more expansive than just his rural upbringing. He sought out challenges and relentless learning, which he found traveling and working, often moving around the United States searching for something greater. This questing, questioning attitude is revealed in The Road Not Taken.
Emerson and Whitman were two of Frost’s beloved authors, followed closely by Thoreau, Yeats and Longfellow. Frost was deeply impacted by Emerson’s transcendentalist thoughts and adaptations of nature as a metaphor, while Whitman’s poetry on wide-ranging topics and embracing of different voices hugely influenced Frost. He often referred to Emerson and Whitman as his writing fathers, as both heavily influenced his perspectives and writing. Additionally, Frost was extremely inspired by the natural world and its whisperings, as revealed in his poetic works throughout his career.
Frost’s career before becoming a successful poet consisted of various odd jobs such as teaching, working as a cobbler, tending sheep and lecturing. These experiences greatly inform his writing, further impacting his life’s philosophy featured in The Road Not Taken and other works. Frost chose to accept the unexpected and hard places in his life. This knowledge of real life is portrayed in the poem; he also offers comfort by showing compassion for “the way there worn about the same”. This is an important aspect of his works and himself; Frost understood that life would be complex and filled with seemingly insurmountable choices, but within these difficulties is the ability to choose differently.
The Effect of Nature
Nature is a major theme in Robert Frost’s works. His poetry is deeply rooted in the natural world and his experiences of living in rural New England. The Road Not Taken is no different. Nature is present in each line, as Frost uses metaphor comparing human experience and struggle to natural elements. He embraces nature and humanity at once in his writing, creating a powerful metaphor for the life choices faced by the speaker. The references to yellow wood and evening sky offer a sense of beauty and mystery, allowing for the idea that although it is an uncertain and hard choice, there can also be much beauty in the process of discovery.
The Process of Making Choices
Frost does an incredible job of conveying the struggles and nuances of making a choice. Despite the challenges, there is an underlying acceptance in the poem. Rather than lamenting being unable to take multiple roads at once, he instead offers gratitude for the opportunity to make a difficult decision. Frost portrays this process of choice-making: “And looked down one as far as I could/ To where it bent in the undergrowth”, emphasizing the effects of choice in the less-traveled road, which is said to produce “a difference”. This line speaks to the idea of making a choice, and doing “something so classic and so daring” in light of the consequences of decision-making.
The Significance of The Road Not Taken
The Road Not Taken is a highly influential poem with relevancy beyond the page. It speaks to the idea of choice, of how life presents difficult decisions and how we face those choices with determination and hope. The poem speaks to Frost’s life philosophy and is an iconic part of American literature. While Frost is best known for this poem, he wrote many works in his lifetime which explore the ideas of choosing paths and the human relationship with nature and one another. In his writing, he reveals his resilience and hope for a better future, and this hope is expressed throughout every line of The Road Not Taken.
The Importance of Metaphor
Frost employs extensive metaphor to convey the thoughts and feelings of the poem’s speaker. His use of metaphor manages to encapsulate the complexities and struggle of the speaker’s life while also offering the promise of hope. His expression of the metaphor of life against the backdrop of the wilderness is both vivid and emotive, leading to a dynamic expression of life’s struggles. Additionally, Frost manages to capture the speaker’s thought process and difficulty in making such an important choice, demonstrating Frost’s ability with the craft of poetry.
The Poet as an Outsider
In many of Frost’s works, there is a sense of being an outsider. Frost himself had a difficult life and felt himself to be on the outside of normal society, as evidenced in many of his poems. The Road Not Taken explores the feeling of being an outsider, choosing a less-traveled path due to feeling different or misunderstood. This feeling of being an outsider speaks to the challenge of making difficult decisions, as the speaker’s life is not one that is embraced by those around them. Instead of conforming to the norm, Frost’s speaker chooses “the road less traveled by”. This notion speaks to the importance of freedom and individuality in spite of any judgment that may come from others.
The Power of Self Reflection
The Road Not Taken is more than just a poem about the struggle of decision-making; it is about self-reflection and taking comfort in the decisions made despite their difficulty and the unknown results. Through his writing, Frost offers a window into self-reflection and understanding. He shows the power of our decisions, reflecting upon the importance of choice in our lives and the ways in which this choice shapes us. The speaker’s words feel both questioning and comforting as they move through the choices they face. We can see here Frost’s understanding of the human struggle and making decisions which are complex and may have unknown outcomes.
