The Correlation between The Poet’s Background and The Symbols Used in “Stopping by Wood on A Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

 

I.         Introduction

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a very well know poem written by Robert Frost. The poem appears to be very simple, but it has a hidden meaning on it. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is also abundant with symbolism. Almost each line in this poem is symbolized something. Many people have analyzed this poem and have different interpretation of it, especially at the symbols.

However, in my opinion, there are correlations between those symbols and the poet’s life background. Through this paper, I would like to show the reader the symbol in this poem and its correlation with the poet’s background.

 

II.      Discussion

According to the poem, there are several symbols that we can symbolize. The title “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” itself can be symbolize for many things, but in this case, it probably means reminiscing past memories when a person is in the older years on their life.

 

 

In the first stanza, the poet states that he is passing some woods of a man who lives in the village, watching them to “fill up with snow” (line 4). Several things are symbolic in this; woods are symbolic for life, the snow indicates winter. However, the woods that covered by the snow could mean that the narrator is elderly. If that symbolism is added to that stanza, the first stanza quite possibly mean that the narrator is an aged man, looking at his life, remembering all in which has happened in it.

This first stanza has correlations with the poet’s life. The poet was elderly when he wrote this poem. Moreover, he got inspiration to write this poem when he was sitting in his house and see the woods that covered with the snow. He was very sad. It was because he wanted to buy his sons Christmas gift, but he had no money. So he just sitting and remembering all the things that happened.

 

 

On to the second stanza, the narrator mentions that he is “between the woods and frozen lake” (lines 7). As I said earlier, the woods are symbolic for life. Then the frozen lake here is symbolic for death. Symbolically this represents that he is at the beginning of the end of life. “the darkest evening of year” (line 8), geologically, is happened in the 21^st or 22^nd December (winter solstice). However, according to the poet’s background, he was in the hardest moment at that time; he has no money (at the time when money is most needed), he has much son, his father was already death, etc. If we look back to line 7, it can be concluded that: he was in the hardest moment, so he thought that he was between the life and the death—the hardest moment made him think that dying was better for him. So he was on the way to leave the life and come to the death.

 

 

However, in line five, the narrator barely elucidates that he is riding a horse, and stops it “without a farmhouse near” (line 6) which corresponds to the third stanza. “My little horse” (line 5) in the this stanza is given human characteristics, because the horse asks if stopping between the woods and frozen lake is some mistake, and the horse is then even more confused for the only other sound is of the wind and snow falling. The horse here can be interpreted as the time or his obligation. The time was keep running and that’s realizing him that he should not do that (make hisselves dying). He asked the time, whether to be stopped (he is dying) or to be continued (keep alive). However, there was no answer and he made his own conclusions.

Lines 13, 14, 15, and 16 in the fourth and last stanza of “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” says that although the “woods are lovely, dark and deep” (line 13), the narrator has “promises to keep” (line 14) and “miles to go before I sleep” (lines 15 and 16). Translated into symbolism, this means that although life is mysterious and wonderful, he has obligations to keep, and much to do before his breaths his last breath and dies.

Look again in fourth stanza, third and fourth lines, the word sleep. Denotatively, sleep means to take the rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness or to cease being awake. How Frost means sleep though is the connotative meaning though. Frost means for sleep to be death. This changes the meaning of the lines completely.

So, finally, he decided to keep making hisselves alive. He still has much time, he has more obligations too. The time to sleep (death) will come and, as long as it has not come, he should enjoy the life and did the best in it.

  III.            Conclusion

“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” has many symbols. Those symbols have correlations between the poet’s background. Those symbols, from the first until forth stanza can be concluded: The poet is elderly people, he was very sad and was in the hardest moment in his life. He wanted to die, but the time realizing him. He also realized that, although life is mysterious and wonderful, he had obligations to keep, and much to do before his breaths his last breath and dies.