Symbolic imagery in Robert Frost’s poems

Symbolic imagery in Robert Frost’s poems

Introduction:

Robert Frost was one of the most shining stars of American literature who was regarded as a leading poet among dominant poets of American History. His full name was Robert Lee Frost. He was born on 26^th march 1874. His mother was of Scottish decent, and his father descended from Nicholas Frost of Tiverton, Devon, England.

Robert Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early 20^th century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes.

A popular and often quoted poet, Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Cleanth Brooks says

“Frost’s best poetry exhibits the structure of symbolist poetry. Much more clearly than does of many a modern poet”.

          In his nature poems, Frost has also commented on the misery of the modern man which due to his going away from nature. He passed away on 29^th January 1963.now before starting a topic- symbolic imagery in Frost’s poems, it is very much important to know about the definition of symbolism. So, let’s discuss it in detail.

Symbolism:

“Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and significant.”

Symbolism is everywhere; symbolism exists whenever something is meant to represent something else. Symbolism is a figure of speech than is used when an author wants to create a certain mood or emotion in a work of literature. Symbolism is the use of an object person, situation, or word to represent something else in literature.

Examples of Symbolism:

Metaphor:

A figure of speech used when a comparison between two unlike things without using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. For example ‘Time is money’ is an example of a metaphor comparing time to money.

Allegory:

Allegory an extended metaphor; an allegory can be entire story or book with symbolism that story or book with symbolism that continues throughout the literary piece.

Types of Symbolism in literature:

In literature, after authors use different symbolism to represent a particular concept. Throughout various forms of literature, the following symbols might be used to create meaning in a story.

Colors:

Black – it is used to represent something bad such as death or evil.

White- it represents something good and pure.

Red – it symbolizes passion, blood or danger.

Green – it can symbolize hope and immaturity.

Symbolism in Stopping by woods on a Snowy evening:

The most significant symbol in the poem “stopping by woods on a snowy Evening” would be woods. Through the adjectives that the speaker uses in the poem, the reader should recognize the tone and mood of mystery and danger. This is evident when- he says 

Through the descriptions and throughout the poem, it becomes clear that the woods would symbolize the beauty and mystery of the world that most people are too busy to appreciate. It is symbolic of the way that most people always go through life – thinking only of them, being self–centered and ignoring that mystery and beauty of the nature that surrounds them.

Robert Frost’s poem “stopping by Woods” symbolizes a journey of life and a movement towards death. Almost every single element in the poem in that sense is symbolic of something. The undefined traveler on horseback reminds one of the knight’s of the Middle Ages in course of a heroic adventure. The cool and the dead of night and the frozen lack in the woods.

 The ‘darkest evening of the year’ – all these elements build an ambiance where the immanence of death is at odds with the indomitable spirit of love, as exemplified by the traveler.

The owner of the woods is referred to but his name has not been mentioned. This can be a reference to the mystic and almost unnamable presence of God. The oath of the traveler to go on come what may keeping his promises before he has to submit to the final call of death, an eternal sleep of sorts. The end of the poem is thus related with philosophical symbolism.

‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ the lovely, dark and deep woods. Why does he call these dark snowy woods lovely? What we o associate with Dark and deep and the answer is the grave, which is dark and deep but why does he love grave? Because he has problem and he wants to die and release he so woods are as a symbol of death and snow and woods under the snow might be the symbol of beauty of death.

The woods may symbolize temptations in life, from a view they seem of mysterious beauty. And some are tempted to stay and enjoy the view, but the traveler chooses to continue his journey through life to reach his destination, which should be our goals in life too. Here the frozen lake symbolize the period of birth t death.

Through the first line of the first stanza here Robert Frost connects the word woods with life and the meaning of this line is that life is lovely as well as dark. It symbolizes full of risk and difficulty.

So, here the complexity of the life is symbolized with the word sleep. Last two lines are very important.

“And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

         

Here this line suggests that Death is the ultimate reality of the life but before that one has some duty to fulfill and the words like “miles to go” indicates that there are so many works and responsibility and one has to compete. So here “sleep” symbolizes the death.

Symbols:

Woods: Here woods are symbolizes as contrast to civilization.

Through this poem woods can be categorized as a symbol of death.

Nature: In this poem, nature is the symbol and the snow is a symbol of coolness, while frozen lake is a symbol of the death and chillness of life.

Horse: In this poem Robert Frost takes Horse as a symbol, which symbolizes as a soul of the poet.

Sleep: Robert Frost conveys his ideas by the word ‘sleep;. So, this word symbolizes Death and tells that before death an individual has to complete on fulfill promises.

Village: Village is symbolized here as society and civilization.

So, here Frost expresses his feelings through various symbols.

Symbolism in Fire and Ice

The concepts of Fire and Ice carry with them deep connotations that, in and of themselves, prompt the recollection of the sensations they embody.For example Fire elicits the feeling of heat and light, but also burning and pain.This particular image is well used by Frost to create a duality with both Fire and ice that then draws attention to the nature of the warning he creates.

Symbolism:

Symbolism is the key to this poem. Frost very explicitly makes symbols as given below.

Fire: Warmth, Emotions, Desire

Ice: Coldness, Dryness, Hatred

Both are extremes and these extremes lead towards destruction. Fire symbolize for desire, and ice symbolizes here for hate. This coupled with the imgery that these symbols evoke and creats a multidimensional complexity to the poem. Because of the deeper meaning that fire and ice takes on the application and understading of the poem is altered. Here some lines are there, which also give symbolic imagery like

“Fire and Ice” is only poem of nine lines. Through this short poem Frost conveys his ideas and he succeeded in opening our eyes for deeper meaning.

Desire to Fire and haste to ice are haste to ice are human emotions, transformed into impersonal forces. This poem is a lyric, which also expresses the poet’s dreaded acceptance of the passion both of love and hatred in their most destructive from.

Symbolism in Mending Wall

“Mending Wall” is a poem by Robert Frost, which has many symbols so through these various symbols the poet here conveys his idea because this poem has literal and hidden meaning, which symbolizes religious, political and economic conflict, national, religious, racial and prejudices which divide man from man and come in the way of mutual understanding and harmonious relationship.

Here this line symbolizes

“Good fences make good neighbors”

So this line is symbolized with an old man his young neighbor, the two neighbors represent the problem between traditional and modernity.

Age: Traditional

Here the young wants to move away from his tradition on and rebuilt his society on the other side the old uphold the value of the traditional and customary.

Young: Modernity

The poem seems simple the richness of its texture is revealed only on a symbolic interpretation, something in “Nature” is against all the fences and walls.

Symbolism in Home Burial

This poem is a dramatic or pastoral lyric, using free-from dialogue rather than strict rhythmic schemes. Frost generally use five stressed syllables in each lines and divides stanzas in terms of lines of speech.

The poem describes two tragedies as given below

1. The death of a young child

2. The death of a marriage.

So here this poem can be read as a tragic double entendre. The mother in this poem can’t forget that her husband himself dug the grave of their buried child. She thinks her husband a callous person. The memory of the child has separated her from her husband. The husband is a simple man and is baffled by the excessiveness of her sorrow.

Home Burial symbolizes: Strain, Isolation, and Alienation

The emotional arguments of the mother in this poem are the symbol of strain, isolation, alienation which is stuff of humanity in the modern age.

Symbolism in Design

“Design” is a sonnet, which is written by Robert Frost. Here through this poem Frost conveys his ideas as well as feelings. Here the concepts which has been taken by the poet in this poem is an unique one.

In this poem Frost talks about one spider who is write and the spider holds a white moth in its mouth. Thus the pattern of whiteness is seen by the poet. The white spider, the white flower, and the white moth with dead wings.

Here, the pattern which Robert Frost observes is white, but in reality it is a bringing together of different ingredients of “death and blight”.

In this poem the poet believes that there is a power that governs things that occurs, some unknown power weaves such appealing “designs of darkness”. But in the end the poet admits possibility that there is no design or plans that coming together, of the white spider, white flower and moth.

So at last Robert Frost tells and gives nature as a symbol a kind of mother.

Symbolism in The Gift Outright

‘The Gift Outright’ is a poem by Robert Frost, which is a patriotic poem. This poem is a lyric. This poem ‘The Gift Outright’ symbolizes Religion. Therefore, this poem begins with an account of the coming of the British colonist in America. So they become the colonials of America and called our country as their motherland. They lacked the patriotic feeling for the land they lived in. they believed in possession but not in belongingness.

Here in this poem the patriotic feeling for the country of an individual is observed or rather than in very simple way.

To round up:

A few words more, an individual can say that through different types of symbols and symbolic imagery, Robert Frost here portrayed his ideas as well as feelings through these symbols which are very difficult to understand yet after several reading of these poems one can grasp the meaning.