Robert Frost is one of the most famous poet’s, winning four Pulitzers Prizes, and even reciting one of his poems at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Frost was born in San Francisco, but spent most of his life in New England, as a teacher and farmer, in rural New Hampshire. Frost often uses natural elements in his poetry, especially New England landscapes. He uses seasons, flowers, fields, stars, and time of day to set a logical sequence of events to paint a psychological feeling inside the reader’s mind. Two of Robert Frost’s poems, “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, take readers through a New England winter setting, reflecting the beautiful scenery through his descriptive imagery. However, even though these two poems are set in a wintry backdrop, they convey very different tones. One has a feeling of loneliness, and the other a welcoming feeling of solitude. In this paper, I intend to illustrate how two very similar natural settings are written to express two very different themes of loneliness.
The poems “Desert Places” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” have quite a few similarities. For instance, they both share the same rhythmic scheme; A,A,B,A. They both are set in a snowy, evening where darkness is taking over quickly. In both poems there is a man traveling alone, where no other souls are around. There is a sense that both travelers are stepping away from life for a brief moment in time. The contrast of darkness and whiteness against the horizon is apparent in both poems, however in “Stopping by Woods”, the depth of the darkness is inviting. In “Desert Places”, the whiteness of the snow is blank and meaningless. This is where Robert Frost’s themes in these two poems begin to emerge to the reader. In the Poem “Desert Places” whiteness and blankness are two key symbols used to express feelings of emptiness. The traveler in the poem is walking through the New England countryside on a snowy evening, and he is feeling an inner loneliness and emptiness as he walks by a snow covered field. He views the snow covered field as a “blanker whiteness of benighted snow” (Frost, 1936), which symbolize open and empty spaces. The snow is a white blanket that covers up all living creatures. The blankness symbolizes the emptiness the traveler feels inside, nothing to express. The traveler is alone on this snowy night with his thoughts, and no one to express them to. As he notices the woods in the background, he describes the woods as belonging to each other, a community, which he is not part of. The woods symbolize the people of the world, who he does not feel included in. The traveler is alone in this universe. The woods, and animals are a part of nature, and nature is the blanket of snow which is bringing all creatures together. The traveler has clearly lost his passion for life, and his feelings of loneness have overtaken his mind. “I am to absent-spirited to count” (Frost, 1936), the traveler is feeling as though he does not matter in this world. He is also saying that he does not need anyone in this world, “They cannot scare me with their empty space” (Frost 1936,). The traveler is excluding himself from the world with his thoughts of loneliness, “scare myself with my own desert places” (Frost, 1936). He is starting to realize that his thoughts of loneness are taking over his mind, and he let depression take over his life, just as the snow covered the field. Robert Frost was expressing an idea that we can have feelings of depression and loneliness sometimes, but we cannot let those feelings overwhelm us. Feelings of loneliness can take hold over lives, just as nature’s blanket of snow can cover up a field which was once full of life. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is a much more pleasant poem about a man who is on his way home to finish his commitments before he sleeps, but he stops for a bit to admire the beauty of a winter’s night snowfall. “He will not see me stopping here” (Frost 1922), refers to the man who is seeking a bit of an escape from life’s hustle and bustle. The traveler is taking a moment of solitude, to stop and reflect on the winter solstice, “The darkest evening of the year” (Frost 1922). The setting is described by Frost using beautiful natural imagery, such as “the woods are lovely, dark, and deep” (Frost, 1922). The dark woods are beautiful, mysterious, and inviting, and we can feel the man’s excitement as he is mesmerized by the dark woods set against the frozen white lake. The man would like to stay and enjoy the evening, but feels rather guilty because he has “promises to keep” (Frost 1922). The man expresses concern of people thinking he is odd for stopping between the frozen lake, and the woods on a snowy night, “My little horse must think it queer” (Frost, 1922). This poem expresses the joy of nature, and asks that people take the time to look at nature’s beautiful landscapes. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is quite different than “Desert Places”, despite their similar settings. The two poems use solitude and loneliness, which are two emotions that symbolize being alone, with completely different meanings. Being alone can be a positive or negative emotion, depending on the person’s state of mind. It can bring feelings of depression, or it can be a time of reflection, but require a sort of disconnect from the world. Robert Frost created two natural winter scenes which gave the reader two very different emotions. In “Desert Places” the winter brought about feelings of loneliness and a loss of passion for life. “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” brought the reader feelings of appreciation and celebration for nature’s creative landscapes. A quote from President John F. Kennedy called Robert Frost, “The great American poet of our time” and described him thus, “His life and his art summed up the essential qualities of the New England, he loved so much: the fresh delight in Nature, the plainness of speech, the canny wisdom, and deep underlying insight into the human soul.” (Tanvir, 2012).