Summary and Analysis of Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening'

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Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The renowned poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost is a favorite to countless readers for many reasons. Appreciated not only for its simplicity and poignant imagery, but also the beauty of the poem, which lies within the parallels between the traveler and horse and the body and conscience as well as the symbolic significance of the perpetual journey of life. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” portrays the woods as a dark point in his life, the horse questioning giving up just as the physical body grows weary, and the decision to keep persevering through the difficulties that may arise. Although the poem describes an ordinary ride through snowy woods, it symbolizes the journey through the difficulties in life. These hardships are first seen as the traveler “stop[s] here to watch his woods fill up with snow” (lines 3, 4). Because snow represents death, it further shows that the rider wants to quit and abandon his ambitions in life during “the darkest evening of the year”(line 8), and simply accept death. The beautiful and dark woods compare the difficulties of his life with the temptation to cease fighting onward. Though often overlooked, the innocent horse represents the conscience of the speaker. As the horse is essential for the journey, so is the conscience to the speaker’s life journey. The horse, “giv[ing] his harness bells a shake to ask if there is some mistake,” (line 9, 10) reflects the characteristics of the conscience through the quiet hints of the bells, which resemble the soft voices that direct the speaker’s thoughts and actions to keep moving on, even though it seems better to stay. Although the horse and the traveler are separate entities, they illustrate the relationship between the physical body and the conscience because they are dependent and cannot reach the destination without the

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