Understanding Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
One question that frequently arises among readers of Robert Frost’s poetry is the significance of the repeated line at the end of his esteemed 1923 poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. The closing line, “And miles to go before I sleep,” marks the conclusion of what is arguably Frost’s second most famous poem, following closely behind The Road Not Taken. This particular poem has been widely anthologized and quoted, making it a staple in discussions of American poetry.
Opening lines often achieve a level of fame that surpasses the rest of their respective poems. For example, many can easily recite “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, yet how many can recall the final line of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18? Similarly, how many can articulate the completion of the opening line “April is the cruellest month” from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land? In contrast, Frost possessed a remarkable talent for concluding his poems with lines that resonate powerfully, often more so than the opening lines. The line “And miles to go before I sleep” exemplifies Frost’s mastery of poetic closure.
What’s the Poem About?
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is narrated by a traveler who stops to admire the serene beauty of a snowy woodland during winter. He reflects that the owner of these woods resides in a village located some distance away. Frost’s speaker acknowledges the allure of the woods but recognizes that he has responsibilities that compel him to continue on his journey, thus reluctantly departing from this tranquil haven before he can finally rest for the night.
To gain a deeper understanding of the poem’s meaning, it is essential to consider its broader context.
Rhyme and Reason
The poem features a highly structured and unconventional rhyme scheme, which enhances the significance of the final line, “And miles to go before I sleep.” Frost does not simply employ a rhyme scheme; he intricately links each stanza to the next through repeated rhymes, creating a sense of continuity throughout the poem. While one might describe the rhyme scheme as aaba, this only partially captures the complexity of the poem’s structure. Instead, what emerges is a pattern of interlinked rhymes, such that the rhyme scheme can be seen as aaba bbcb ccdc dddd.
Frost uses only four distinct rhymes, compared to the eight that would result if each stanza’s rhymes were entirely independent. For instance, the first stanza uses the rhyme aaba (“know…though…here…snow”), while the second stanza shifts to bbcb (“queer…near…lake…near”), and in the third stanza, the rhyme associated with the word “lake” becomes the primary rhyme, resulting in ccdc (“shake…mistake…sweep…flake”). This intricate interplay lends the poem a sense of forward momentum, yet simultaneously evokes an air of inevitability and even weariness.
That Final Stanza
However, this chain of interconnected rhymes cannot persist indefinitely. In the final stanza, the third line aligns with the rhyme of the first, second, and fourth lines, creating a repetition of “deep…keep…sleep…sleep.” This use of repetition, known as homorhyme, conveys a sense of stasis, reflecting a psychological inability to move forward. While the speaker is physically compelled to continue, there is a palpable reluctance to leave the comforting and beautiful scene behind.
The allure of the peaceful woods is momentary, and the responsibilities of the outside world beckon him back to reality.
Terrifying Repetition
The literary critic Lionel Trilling described Frost’s poetry as “terrifying,” which might be an exaggeration for some, but it certainly prompts contemplation: why does Frost choose to repeat that significant line as the final line of the poem? There are two primary interpretations. The first suggests that he is simply emphasizing the distance the speaker must cover before he can rest. The second, and perhaps more profound interpretation, posits that by repeating the line “And miles to go before I sleep,” Frost infuses both the journey and the concept of sleep with deeper metaphorical and metaphysical significance.
In this light, the journey represents life itself, progressing toward an inevitable destination: death, symbolized by the final “sleep.” The woods, described as dark, deep, and lovely, possess a peculiar allure for the speaker, suggesting a fascination with the enigmatic pull of death. Yet, he cannot succumb to this temptation; he has commitments and responsibilities that require him to continue on his journey through the miles (or perhaps years) that lie ahead before he can truly sleep.