Stopping By Woods on A Snowy Evening - POETRY

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening – Robert Frost
Summary:
 One snowy evening, a traveller is going on a horseback. He stops on his way beside a wood. It is a beautiful wood, and he stands arrested at the sight of it. For a moment, he thinks of breaking his journey. He knows the owner of the woods who lives in the village nearby. He stands watching the scene, conscious of the fact that the owner would not see him enjoying these moments when the snow is filling up the fields.
 The traveller is going on his accustomed route. The horse too is fully familiar with it. So, he wonders why his rider has stopped him at a place which is not his destination. He knows that there is no farmhouse nearby for the rider to take some rest there. There are woods on the one side, and the frozen lake on the other. It is the darkest evening of the year.
 In order to caution the rider, the horse gives a shake to his harness bells. The sound of the bells poses a question to the traveller if he has committed any mistake in stopping there. Perfect silence prevails all around. The only soft sound is the sound of the snow flakes falling on the ground and the blowing of the breeze.
 The rider responds to the caution given to him by his horse. He breaks the spell of that beautiful scene on him. He is reminded of his mission, his home, his obligations. He resolves the conflict between his desire and duty. He comes to the conclusion that though the woods are dark and deep, he cannot stop there. He reminds himself that he has to keep his promises. He has yet to go miles before he can take rest.
Critical Appreciation:
 This is one of Frost’s masterpiece, his most famous poem, frequently taught and anthologized. In this poem, the poet wants to stop in the woods and watch the snow. The dark, deep woods seem to be lovely, quiet and peaceful. The narrator notices the little pleasures in life and he expresses the importance of having leisure time to appreciate the beauty of nature. But, the narrator is a hard-pressed man and has enormous work-load and a tired spirit. As such he reluctantly pulls himself from being entrapped in the bewitching tranquillity in the woods. The language of the poem is rhythmical and the use of alliteration lends flow to the poem. The poet also uses visual and sound images so that we seem to be on a poetic journey through the woods.
 The woods belong apparently to a rich village land owner who remains unaware of its exquisite beauty which the traveller while passing perceives. His ‘little horse’ is confused as to why he stopped there but the traveller has a sharp observation and is responsive to the loveliness around him.
 The poet highlights the contrast between business and pleasure, man and nature life and death and solitude and civilization.
 The poet handles well the theme of being ensnared in the seductiveness of the woods and then the narrator’s effort to shake himself back to bitter reality by being reminded of mundane responsibilities. This poem illustrates many of the characteristic qualities of Frost’s poems. He not only gives detailed images of nature, he also deals with the relationship of man and nature. Frost’s decision to respect the final line ‘And miles to go before I sleep’ may be interpreted as death, or rest from burdensome life. Thus the poet with great skill uses a simple incident to make a deeper philosophical ascertainment.
Paraphrase: Stanza 1:
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.
I believe I know the owner of this property; the man whom this tract of woods belongs to. I also know that the owner will not be around on this snowy, cold evening to see that I have stopped here to appreciate the natural beauty of the forest.
Stanza 2: My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year.
My little horse finds it peculiar that I should stop like this at an isolated, lonely place. My horse is finding it strange that I stop in the middle of the snowy woods, in between the woods and a frozen lake especially as night time is approaching.
Stanza 3:
He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
My horse is shaking his harness and this makes the bells jingle. He probably wants to know if something is awry or if there is a problem. Besides the sound of the harness bells is the sweeping noise coming from the slight wind and softly falling snow. There is a gentle whirr and complete stillness.
Stanza 4: The woods arc lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. I am entranced by the dark deep woods. They are almost irresistible I am contemplating on staying on but I have a long way to reach my destination. I know my responsibilities and I can’t stop here to relax. There are promises which I must fulfill and I have no reason to remain here.
Central Idea:
 ‘Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening’ explores the theme of an individual who is allured by the beauty of nature but at the same time he is to fulfill some responsibilities of everyday life. He is in a dilemma whether to stay back or to resist these temptations and return to the challenging world of men. He is hypnotised by the beauty of nature but ‘the promises to keep’ are more important and he reluctantly returns. He acknowledges the pull of obligations and overpowers his desire to indulge in the bewitching beauty of the woods The Central Idea therefore is that there is a world of perfect quiet and solitude on one side but the call of social responsibility is stronger and we have to succumb to the need to fulfill our unfinished jobs.