In Robert Frost’s poem, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the person who is speaking is describing driving through the woods on a snowy evening and enjoying the beautiful scene and its silence and solitude. He describes the scenario and gives the impression that he would be content to stay longer, but his worldly obligations drive him out of his reverie and require him to rejoin the rest of the world with all of his responsibilities. He is forced to leave the woods in order to meet those obligations, because he has quite a distance to go before he is able to reach his destination.

When reading the poem, initially it can give an impression of being somewhat ominous or even threatening because the speaker is clearly all alone surrounded by the huge woods in which anything could be lurking. I actually thought that the poem might be about a person who is going to commit suicide because of feeling alone, lonely, and apart from the rest of society. Upon reading it again, however, it is clear that this scene is quite beautiful and that rather than feeling it is a threatening setting the person who is setting the scene is quite content and is enjoying the loveliness of the setting.

Frost uses several literary techniques to make the poem unusual, including its unique form.. The piece is made up of four standards that are almost identical. The rhyme pattern is such that the first three stanzas consist of rhyming the first, second, and fourth lines; however,the third line contains a different word, which previews the rhyme scheme in the next stanza. For example, in the first stanza Frost uses the words know, though, and snow but the third line contains the word here. That previews the rhyme scheme in the next stanza, when the first, second, and third line rhyme with here and introduce the next rhyme scheme, all of which lines rhyme with the word lake. It is only in the last stanza that Frost changes the rhyming scheme and has all four lines rhyming with the same word: sweep, deep, sleep. In addition, the last line is repeated identically twice in a way that emphasizes a major theme of the poem, i.e., that the narrator has a long way to go to meet his obligations before he can rest or enjoy this beautiful winter scene.

The tone of the poem is mysterious and parallels the scene set by the words, that is, the woods are “lovely, dark, and deep” and mirror the work itself. Throughout the poem, in addition, Frost uses personification to attribute human qualities to the horse that he is traveling with. He says “my little horse must think it clear…” and “he gives his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake”. The idea that is conveyed is that the man is traveling with his companion, his horse, and although he is alone in the woods i.e. without other people, he has company with him in that the horse is communicating with him.

Frost’s use of alliteration is constant throughout the poem. In this case, he uses the repetition of vowel patterns to set an almost hypnotic mood through the rhyme scheme. Symbolism is also used, as the poem may also represent an older man in the “winter” of his life, stopping to reminisce about his memories and his obligations. Considering the poem in a symbolic way, in addition, it could be a metaphor for an older person at the end of his life, taking stock of all that he has been through, and noting that he has things to complete before his life ends. The symbolic role of the horse could be construed as a creature or a being that is helping to guide him through his life, so that when he stops in the woods to think about his life, his guide is confused that he is pausing to reflect.

This poem appears to be rather simple when reading it at first, but looking at it in a more analytical way demonstrates that it is far from superficial. Instead, it reflects themes of life, death, loneliness, as well as beauty, responsibility, and the awesome power of nature.