Literary Analysis
A Literary Analysis of Robert Frost's Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
While Robert Frost is often portrayed as a regionalist poet, whose focus typically turns to the simplicity and beauty of the New England landscape, many of Frost’s poems have an underlying darkness; “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” a seemingly simple glimpse into the beauty of a winter night, is in both content and form a metaphor for the contemplation of suicide.
The title of the poem suggests a familiarity, with the narrator “stopping by” the woods, a neighborly phrase that suggests that he has been in this place before (Saunders). The woods symbolize death and oblivion, and as such, it’s implied that this is not the first time that the narrator has considered death and taking his own life. It is a sentiment echoed in the opening line where the narrator finds himself in a familiar place, recognizing the woods and how isolated they are (Saunders). In the phrase “Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though,” there is a sense of hesitation following by self-reassurance, with the narrator contemplating his location, and considering if he should stay (Frost 245). He follows with “he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow,” rationalizing why it’s acceptable for him to remain there (Frost 245). He finds himself alone, contemplating his solitude, with the prospect of death before him.
The narrator pauses and considers that his “little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near,” with the horse serving a symbol of the narrator’s conscience (Frost 245). This suggests that he recognizes that being all alone “between the woods and frozen lake” on “the darkest evening of the year” is atypical behavior and may be ill-advised (Frost 245). His location, between the woods and lake, is akin to being between the proverbial rock and a hard place; both are equally desolate and representative of oblivion. The phrase “darkest evening of the year,” is often interpreted as a reference to the winter solstice, however, the solstice is the longest evening of the year; in actuality, the winter solstice is no darker than any other night (Brown 13). The poet could have used the word longest in place of darkest, as they contain the same number of syllables, the with the stress in the same location, however Frost chose the word “darkest,” a word that carries heavier undertones. Therefore, the phrase is more likely symbolic of the feeling of deep depression. This stanza is symbolic of the narrator reconsidering his contemplated suicide as a decision that he should not make when he is in such a lonely place at such a dark hour.
The horse “gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake,” symbolizes the breaking of the spell, or the shaking of the conscience; it is the equivalent of shaking one’s head to remove unwanted thoughts (Frost 245). The horse, or the narrator’s conscience, is suggesting that he’s making a mistake. The harness bells are the only sound beyond the “sweep of easy wind and downy flake,” symbols of how simple and peaceful death would be with the term “downy” evoking the imagery of comfort (Frost 245). The stanza serves as a turning point in the poem, where the narrator’s conscience is louder than his desire to be lost within the woods.
In the final stanza, the narrator reaffirms the temptation of the woods, the temptation of death, saying that “the woods are lovely, dark and deep,” a welcomed oblivion (Frost 245). However, he decides that he has “promises to keep,” other obligations in his life that he is unwilling to leave behind, even for the pull of death (Frost 245). The repetition of the final line “and miles to go before I sleep,” serves as both a justification for his decision as well as reassurance to himself that he has made the best decision (Frost 245). In a lecture given at the University of Michigan, Robert Penn Warren refers to the darkness of the woods as “delicious - but treacherous,” and “the beauty, the peace, is a sinister beauty, a sinister peace [-] the peace which is a peace of escape is a meaningless and, therefore, a suicidal peace,” supporting the analysis of the woods as metaphor for death.
Perhaps deeper still, the poem ends on a somewhat ambiguous note, with the reader not privy to how many of the “miles to go before I sleep” will ultimately be traveled (Saunders). Since we can infer that the narrator has found himself in this position before, it is possible that he may find himself in this position again in the future. “Ultimately, this poem is not so much about death as about a choice” (Saunders).
An alternate interpretation for the poem is that it contains no metaphors at all and it is a simple depiction of a moment in time, a concept shared by Dan Brown, in his 2007 review in the New Criterion. Brown states “this iconic lyric is also devoid of metaphors and similes. In this case their absence can’t be explained even partially by saying that the poem is a symbol as a whole” (Brown 12). He goes on to suggest that the woods have no underlying meaning and that it is simply where they narrator is at the time (Brown 12). To that explanation, that the poem has nothing more to say beyond the literal, Robert Penn Warren states “we shall say, and quite rightly, that it is the silliest stuff we ever saw” and suggests that we, the reader, should be “a little less literal-minded” (Warren). Frost himself has said “I almost think a poem is most valuable for its ulterior meanings… I have developed an ulteriority complex” (Faggen 75).
As a whole, the poem follows a conventional rhyming scheme - AABA, BBCB, CCDC - for the first three stanzas and deviates from the standard in the final stanza with DDDD (Frost 245). This pattern evokes a sense of halting, or two steps forward, one step back, with a final surge forward at the end. This follows with the theme of the narrator contemplating ending his life, surveying the ramifications, and ultimately declaring that he intends to continue on.
In a 2016 survey of Frost’s poetry, Yujie Su refers to the dark tones within Frost’s work as “dark energy words,” and relates them to themes of death, anxiety and fear, and isolation and depression; words such as snow or winter are “thought to have an intrinsic relation to death. Within “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” including the title, “snow” is mentioned, referenced or alluded to four times (Frost 245). According to Su, other dark energy words commonly found within Frost’s work include dark, black, night, evening, woods, and sleep. These words can be found, in some form or allusion, fourteen times within “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” a poem that is itself only sixteen lines long (Frost 245).
A possible explanation for the prevailing dark tones within Frost’s poems, including “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” may lie in his state of mind following a series of personal tragedies, including his personal struggles with depression and mental illness (Su). “[Frost] was in a constant depression and often felt himself unhinged by his darker impulses” (Su). This sentiment is echoed in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, which states that the “the success he enjoyed [later in] life, however, came too late to cancel the bitterness left by his earlier struggles” (230). Frost suffered the loss of several of his children: his son Elliott died in 1900 at age 4, his daughter Elinor Bettina died in 1907, just days after her birth, his daughter Marjorie died in childbirth in 1934, and his son Carol committed suicide in 1940 (Chronology); one of his surviving daughters, Irma, was committed to a mental institution in 1947 (Su).
Given Frost’s history of personal tragedies, struggles with mental illness, and celebration of what he described as ulterior motives in writing, it is no stretch of the imagination to interpret “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” as a glimpse into the mind of a man who is contemplating ending his own life, possibly rendering the poem semi-autobiographical. As Frost went on to live another 40 years after its publication in 1923, he indeed had miles to go before he slept.
The title of the poem suggests a familiarity, with the narrator “stopping by” the woods, a neighborly phrase that suggests that he has been in this place before (Saunders). The woods symbolize death and oblivion, and as such, it’s implied that this is not the first time that the narrator has considered death and taking his own life. It is a sentiment echoed in the opening line where the narrator finds himself in a familiar place, recognizing the woods and how isolated they are (Saunders). In the phrase “Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though,” there is a sense of hesitation following by self-reassurance, with the narrator contemplating his location, and considering if he should stay (Frost 245). He follows with “he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow,” rationalizing why it’s acceptable for him to remain there (Frost 245). He finds himself alone, contemplating his solitude, with the prospect of death before him.
The narrator pauses and considers that his “little horse must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near,” with the horse serving a symbol of the narrator’s conscience (Frost 245). This suggests that he recognizes that being all alone “between the woods and frozen lake” on “the darkest evening of the year” is atypical behavior and may be ill-advised (Frost 245). His location, between the woods and lake, is akin to being between the proverbial rock and a hard place; both are equally desolate and representative of oblivion. The phrase “darkest evening of the year,” is often interpreted as a reference to the winter solstice, however, the solstice is the longest evening of the year; in actuality, the winter solstice is no darker than any other night (Brown 13). The poet could have used the word longest in place of darkest, as they contain the same number of syllables, the with the stress in the same location, however Frost chose the word “darkest,” a word that carries heavier undertones. Therefore, the phrase is more likely symbolic of the feeling of deep depression. This stanza is symbolic of the narrator reconsidering his contemplated suicide as a decision that he should not make when he is in such a lonely place at such a dark hour.
The horse “gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake,” symbolizes the breaking of the spell, or the shaking of the conscience; it is the equivalent of shaking one’s head to remove unwanted thoughts (Frost 245). The horse, or the narrator’s conscience, is suggesting that he’s making a mistake. The harness bells are the only sound beyond the “sweep of easy wind and downy flake,” symbols of how simple and peaceful death would be with the term “downy” evoking the imagery of comfort (Frost 245). The stanza serves as a turning point in the poem, where the narrator’s conscience is louder than his desire to be lost within the woods.
In the final stanza, the narrator reaffirms the temptation of the woods, the temptation of death, saying that “the woods are lovely, dark and deep,” a welcomed oblivion (Frost 245). However, he decides that he has “promises to keep,” other obligations in his life that he is unwilling to leave behind, even for the pull of death (Frost 245). The repetition of the final line “and miles to go before I sleep,” serves as both a justification for his decision as well as reassurance to himself that he has made the best decision (Frost 245). In a lecture given at the University of Michigan, Robert Penn Warren refers to the darkness of the woods as “delicious - but treacherous,” and “the beauty, the peace, is a sinister beauty, a sinister peace [-] the peace which is a peace of escape is a meaningless and, therefore, a suicidal peace,” supporting the analysis of the woods as metaphor for death.
Perhaps deeper still, the poem ends on a somewhat ambiguous note, with the reader not privy to how many of the “miles to go before I sleep” will ultimately be traveled (Saunders). Since we can infer that the narrator has found himself in this position before, it is possible that he may find himself in this position again in the future. “Ultimately, this poem is not so much about death as about a choice” (Saunders).
An alternate interpretation for the poem is that it contains no metaphors at all and it is a simple depiction of a moment in time, a concept shared by Dan Brown, in his 2007 review in the New Criterion. Brown states “this iconic lyric is also devoid of metaphors and similes. In this case their absence can’t be explained even partially by saying that the poem is a symbol as a whole” (Brown 12). He goes on to suggest that the woods have no underlying meaning and that it is simply where they narrator is at the time (Brown 12). To that explanation, that the poem has nothing more to say beyond the literal, Robert Penn Warren states “we shall say, and quite rightly, that it is the silliest stuff we ever saw” and suggests that we, the reader, should be “a little less literal-minded” (Warren). Frost himself has said “I almost think a poem is most valuable for its ulterior meanings… I have developed an ulteriority complex” (Faggen 75).
As a whole, the poem follows a conventional rhyming scheme - AABA, BBCB, CCDC - for the first three stanzas and deviates from the standard in the final stanza with DDDD (Frost 245). This pattern evokes a sense of halting, or two steps forward, one step back, with a final surge forward at the end. This follows with the theme of the narrator contemplating ending his life, surveying the ramifications, and ultimately declaring that he intends to continue on.
In a 2016 survey of Frost’s poetry, Yujie Su refers to the dark tones within Frost’s work as “dark energy words,” and relates them to themes of death, anxiety and fear, and isolation and depression; words such as snow or winter are “thought to have an intrinsic relation to death. Within “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” including the title, “snow” is mentioned, referenced or alluded to four times (Frost 245). According to Su, other dark energy words commonly found within Frost’s work include dark, black, night, evening, woods, and sleep. These words can be found, in some form or allusion, fourteen times within “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” a poem that is itself only sixteen lines long (Frost 245).
A possible explanation for the prevailing dark tones within Frost’s poems, including “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” may lie in his state of mind following a series of personal tragedies, including his personal struggles with depression and mental illness (Su). “[Frost] was in a constant depression and often felt himself unhinged by his darker impulses” (Su). This sentiment is echoed in The Norton Anthology of American Literature, which states that the “the success he enjoyed [later in] life, however, came too late to cancel the bitterness left by his earlier struggles” (230). Frost suffered the loss of several of his children: his son Elliott died in 1900 at age 4, his daughter Elinor Bettina died in 1907, just days after her birth, his daughter Marjorie died in childbirth in 1934, and his son Carol committed suicide in 1940 (Chronology); one of his surviving daughters, Irma, was committed to a mental institution in 1947 (Su).
Given Frost’s history of personal tragedies, struggles with mental illness, and celebration of what he described as ulterior motives in writing, it is no stretch of the imagination to interpret “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” as a glimpse into the mind of a man who is contemplating ending his own life, possibly rendering the poem semi-autobiographical. As Frost went on to live another 40 years after its publication in 1923, he indeed had miles to go before he slept.
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 2012.
Brown, Dan. "Frost's 'Road' & 'Woods' Redux." New Criterion, no. 8, April 2007, p. 11-14., https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-162620528.html
“Chronology of Robert Frost's Life.” Frost Farm, robertfrostfarm.org/chronology.html. Accessed 3 July 2017.
Faggen, Robert. The Cambridge Companion to Robert Frost. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Saunders, Chris. "'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost: Chris Saunders suggests that the narrator of this elusive short poem is drawn towards oblivion in the woods he stops by. Do you agree? (Close Reading)." The English Review, Vol. 13, no. 1, Sept. 2002, p 34., http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/68460506?q&versionId=81603043
Su, Yujie. “Dark Energy in Robert Frost’s Poems.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 6, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 1372–1376., doi:10.17507/tpls.0607.06.
Warren, Robert Penn. “The Themes of Robert Frost.” Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review, vol. 54, no. 10, 6 Dec. 1947, pp. 1-11.
Brown, Dan. "Frost's 'Road' & 'Woods' Redux." New Criterion, no. 8, April 2007, p. 11-14., https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-162620528.html
“Chronology of Robert Frost's Life.” Frost Farm, robertfrostfarm.org/chronology.html. Accessed 3 July 2017.
Faggen, Robert. The Cambridge Companion to Robert Frost. New York, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Saunders, Chris. "'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' by Robert Frost: Chris Saunders suggests that the narrator of this elusive short poem is drawn towards oblivion in the woods he stops by. Do you agree? (Close Reading)." The English Review, Vol. 13, no. 1, Sept. 2002, p 34., http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/68460506?q&versionId=81603043
Su, Yujie. “Dark Energy in Robert Frost’s Poems.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 6, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 1372–1376., doi:10.17507/tpls.0607.06.
Warren, Robert Penn. “The Themes of Robert Frost.” Michigan Alumnus Quarterly Review, vol. 54, no. 10, 6 Dec. 1947, pp. 1-11.