Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Loneliness Theme Analysis Essay Sample

Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening” uses a combination of stylistic devices and form to illustrate the ambivalence of loneliness, having both a desire to remain in the established, lonely state and at the same time craving connection. Shown firstly, by the ambiguous “he” owning the woods and the second “he” a personification of the horse, both highlighting the inherent disconnect felt by the speaker. Followed by rhyme scheme and metric and word choice, establishing a mood. All this culminates in the final stanza, breaking the in the poem established patterns in form and the speaker.

The woods are the core of the narrative, they are not only a physical setting, extending into a contrary entity the speaker is entranced by, which is evidenced by the way adjectives are used to describe the woods within the poem, Frost uses “lovely, dark and deep” as the main descriptors. By applying adjectives that seem contrary at first, Frost clearly shows the wood’s nature; this conflict, both unsettling as dark and deep, yet lovely and comforting at the same time. They become something of value to the speaker, one that in his own words even a “horse must think queer”. Another description of the surroundings comes from its silent nature only “the sweep of easy wind and downy flake,” once again establishing a contrast through adjective usage. Establishing this sense of duality, the woods are elevated from mere object to an alluring entity the speaker wants to stop in.

The woods represent a desire by the speaker, the whole poem revolves around stopping in them as already evidenced by the title “Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening.” They represent a state of mind, rather than something tangible, which the speaker wants to stay in. This is portrayed through the way the speaker interacts with the woods. He stops despite his awareness that this is a strange space to stop “without a farmhouse near”, even going so far as intending to stay for a long period, indicated by him planning to “watch his woods fill with snow”. Here the word “fill” is used, an unachievable idea further implying the stay may be long or even indefinite. This all ties back to the woods being a representation of loneliness. The speaker is physically alone, no houses or other people being near is explicitly mentioned, but his loneliness as something mental is also reflected in the woods. He is in them on the “darkest evening of the year”, the woods are silent, only with minimal sounds such as wind, “deep and dark” are used as descriptors, all this creates an atmosphere that is isolating and somber. Rather than other commonly with dark and silent places associated feelings, loneliness stands out as the prevailing one, because it is made clear within the context of the other people mentioned in the poem, furthering the contrasts connotations the woods have, as already mentioned.

Starting with the owner of the woods, the focal point of the first stanza, yet unnamed and of ambiguous nature. His presence in text, in contrast to the lack of presence in the narrative, illustrates the speaker’s lack of connection. The speaker establishes a physical distance between him and the owner, despite being in “his” woods “he will not see the speaker stopping here” (quote stuff) as his house is in the village rather than out in the woods. By creating that literal distance, a figurative one is implied. The speaker is convinced that even though he is in a space belonging to someone else, he will remain unseen and alone in there. This is furthered by the speaker saying “he thinks he knows” who owns these woods, making use of the ambivalent meaning of the phrase. While on one hand, it could be an insecurity in the ownership of the woods, it can also mean he is unsure of how well he knows the owner on a personal level. Because he carries on without further unsureness calling them “his woods”, the second interpretation is more likely. By making the speaker question if he knows the owner as a person, the distance between them is again emphasized. The speaker’s loneliness is exaggerated by the implied possibility of someone showing up since the woods have an owner, yet the speaker is sure that no one will arrive, not even fully knowing the person whose woods he is in. This does not stem from lack of interest, the owner takes the forefront in the mind of the speaker, as he is heavily featured in the stanza, which becomes more apparent with the appearance of the second “he”.

Another “person” of importance is the horse, which is personified. By using personification Frost shows the speaker’s want for connection. The speaker interprets the actions, which are normal for a horse, like shaking, to be impatience. Through this, the speaker not only creates a personality for the horse, but also projects part of himself onto the horse, both showing his craving for connection. The horse is critical of the speaker’s behavior, “thinking it to be queer” as the speaker believes and, wanting to move on. This elaborates on the speaker’s feelings, while he admires the snowy forest and wants to remain, he knows he cannot. He is aware that staying in a forest filled with snow at night and without shelter nearby is not logical, so he projects these feelings onto an outside force, the horse. As Qiu says” he is “of two minds about it,””, the horse as a funnel for the cognitive dissonance experienced, portraying the other side to his feelings (Qui). He also makes the horse a companion this way, rather than a mode of transportation, someone with opinions and feelings. A “he” who is in the woods with him, rather than one like the owner who will not even see him in them. 

The way rhyme scheme and meter are used works again as an ambivalent idea towards the narrative, both contrasting and harmonizing with it. The steady rhythm of an iambic meter is reminiscent of galloping, something moving onward, in contrast, the speaker stops for the majority of the poem, only harmonizing with the contents in the end as he starts to move again. At the same time, it is rhythmic and soothing, adding to the mood created in the poem with the wood’s dark loveliness. Similarly, the rhymes scheme (aaba, bbcb, ccdc, dddd) is consistent for the first three stanzas, interconnecting them in the style of a flow of consciousness, something steadily moving, till its interruption in stanza 4. This reflects the contents, which also take on the shape of thoughts that are flowing into each other without much reason yet contradicting in its harmonic nature in contrast to the conflict of emotions within the narrative.

All this culminates into the final stanza, where the previously mentioned interruption of the rhymes scheme takes place, here the ambivalence can no longer exist in harmony, but a decision is made, highlighted by the repetition of its third line. This is a disruption to the flow of both content and form, with the repetition breaking the stile as well as the flow of consciousness. The speaker is not only stating that he must leave but rather convincing himself to do so, despite his want to stay. The idea of having to “go miles before he sleeps” carries a sense of weight and exhaustion, something taking effort but necessary as he has “promises to keep”. The speaker leaves the space of the forest, dark, alluring, but lonely, and instead returns to his life at present, with the hardship this brings with it. “But” further underlines this turning point of the narrative, the ambivalence is discarded for a clear answer to continue before returning. The final lines, also have a stark contrast within them. While the line is repeated, it brings closure, while the miles ahead speak of exhaustion and work, the speaker will rest and go to sleep, a sense of closure and peace.

In conclusion, the poem is portraying loneliness as something ambivalent, both desirable to a degree yet at the same time contrasted by the longing for connection, the conflicting desire of the speaker to move on, still wanting to stay at the same time. This contrast and ambivalence are reflected in the form of the poem, using language with contrasts within descriptors, rhyme and meter in its connection to the narrative both being a contrast and addition, and the use of repetition as disruption and closure, finally moving onwards. As well as being present within the narrative, highlighted through used techniques, as the personified horse shows the split and contrasting feelings, the unknown “he” portraying a space of someone else, yet empty and out of its owner’s sight, and the logic and desire in connection to the woods, all working towards and unified picture of contrast and emotions, fully showing the complexity of emotion experienced by a lonely person.