"The Road Not Taken" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

Introduction

The American poet, Robert Frost in his poems “The Road Not taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, depicted the dilemma faced by the travelers on their course of life. These two poems present the indecision which the narrator has to face while choosing the right path to follow. In, “The Road Not taken” the narrator goes against the conventions and chooses the unconventional approach by opting for the less traveled path (Frost, pp. 181). The yearning to live a peaceful and uncomplicated life is presented in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”; however, the realization of social obligation makes the traveler continue his journey.

Discussion

The choices of life been portrayed in Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”; the Road Not taken is about being young, having new experiences in life, whereas Stopping by the woods in the snowy evening about the old age, solemn experiences and nostalgia. Both of these poems depict the narrator's dilemma of choosing the correct path in life.

“The Road Not Taken” is a poem in which, the narrator has to take a critical decision in this stage of his life. This poem portrays the indecision faced by the narrator at the deciding fork in the road; he has to decide which road to take. The "road" used as a metaphor by Frost for the choices we make in life (Fagan, pp. 374). As the narrator decided which “road” to take, he realized that whichever way he chooses, it would be the best. Therefore, he decided to weigh his choices carefully and stand by it till the end without any regret, and after contemplating some more the traveler chose to take ...