Name: Maru Janak jRoll no: 20Paper Name: The American LiteratureEmail ID: marujanak17@gmail.comSubmitted to : Department of English

Theme Of Robert Frost’s Poetry

Introduction

• Robert Lee Frost was an American poet.

• His work was initially published in England before it was published in America.

• He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.

His PoetryStopping by woodsFire and IceThe Gift OutrightDesignMending wallHome Burial

Some important Theme of frost’s poetry

Barrier is the predominant theme Theme of human limitation Theme of extinction or death Theme of love Theme of affirmation Man’s

Isolation

Barrier is the predominant theme

• A concern with barrier is the predominant theme in Frost’s poetry.

• Man is always erecting and trying to bring down barriers-- between man and environment, between man and man.

• In a larger context ,the theme is about the effect of emotional and physical barriers.

Theme of human limitation• Practically all of Frost’s poems depict

the theme of human limitation. The universe seems chaotic and horrific because man’s limited faculties cannot comprehend its meaning. Walls, physical and real, mental and invisible, separate man from Nature.

• “Neither Out Far Nor In Deep” shows man’s limitation concerning the mysterious universe. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” conveys the sense of an impenetrable and indefinite universe. The poem has a sad, melancholy or calm tone.

Theme of extinction or death • Theme of extinction or death also runs through the

major themes of Frost. In many a poem he writes of “sleep” which is associated with death.

• “Fire and Ice” is a noteworthy poem on destruction by excess of desire or hatred. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, “After Apple Picking”, “An Old Man’s Winter Night”, all these poems have a reference to death.

Theme of love

• Theme of love is central to Frost’s poems. If there is any force that can help man meet the challenges of the universe, it is love.

• In several of Frost’s poems, the significance of love between man and woman, or friendly love is brought out.

• It is when love breaks down or fades off that life becomes unbearable especially for the women in Frost’s poetry.

Theme of affirmation Man’s Isolation

• Theme of affirmation is also found in some of his poems. Frost ultimately presents the need for man to make the most of his situation.

• Aware of man’s limitations, he yet desires man to explore and seek knowledge and truth.

• Man should learn to accept things and his limitations cheerfully. He suggests stoical will and effort in the face of adversity as in “West Running Brook”.

Conclusion

The major theme as discussed above are expressed through various devices and all the things.

The symbolic expressing divot in certain recurring object like stras,snow,woods serve to bring home to the reader all the more vividly the position of man in the universe.