"The Road Not Taken"/Robert Frost | My Analysis
My analysis to "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
I thought writing an analysis to this Frost's amazing poem, so here I am.
Let us begin by reading the poem, which consists of 4 stanzas :
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
To where it bent in the undergrowth
Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Analysis
First Stanza
The narrator is travelling in a yellow wood, which is very symbolic to the rural environment in which Frost grew. The color yellow is also symbolic to the color of the forests in New England during the autumn when yellow leaves are covering the ground.
The narrator comes to an intersection and has to decide, which of the roads to take... The narrator is sad due to the fact he/she can't travel both roads.
"long I stood..... And looked down one as far as I could"
The narrator is having a difficulty deciding which road to take, he /she tries to look down as far as possible, perhaps to find a reason to prefer one road over the other.
Second Stanza
The narrator examines the second road, and finds there is no much of a difference between the two. The narrator mentions that the two paths are equally "worn" by others who have taken them.
Third Stanza
The narrator says that in that morning, "no step had trodden black"- the leaves are still clean and yellow, no one stepped on them with mud on the shoes, making them look black.
The narrator chooses to take one road over the other.
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
He/she acknowledge the fact that in life, each decision we make changes the final outcome in the future.
I doubted if I shall ever come back
The narrator shows regret, and questions his decision- maybe he/she would never be there again.
Fourth Stanza
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Here, the narrator talks about the future. The word sigh can get two meanings:
- A sigh of relief - if the narrator will be satisfied with his choice of roads.
- A sigh of regret - if the narrator will regret not having chosen the other path- the road not taken.
Only time will tell if this sigh will be of relief, or of regret.
We can see throughout all the poem that the narrator is afraid of making a mistake not choosing the other road.
I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference
The narrator will be saying this in the future, but again this could get two meanings-
difference in what way? For the good or for the bad?
Robert Frost had to decide between being a farmer or a poet. Frost has chosen to be a poet. He didn't know if he had done wisely. He had taken the less traveled road, knowing it could turn out to be a bad, bad mistake, if he would not succeed.
That was it. My analysis to Frost's "The Road Not Taken" poem.
If you found it interesting and would like to read more analyses.