An Evening in Snowy Woods

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
--Robert Frost

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.

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.

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.

The woods are 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 think Frost uses this poem as an artistic way to present an overall theme about humanity, which is that breaking promises may seem like a very tempting idea but should be avoided if at all possible to eliminate the possibility of one developing a guilty conscience. The character in the poem is nervous about being in the woods because they are not his. He realizes that he will not get caught in these woods though, since the owner’s house is far away. This introduces the temptation of doing the wrong thing. The prospect of committing immoral acts is much more tempting if there is a likelihood of one getting away with it. This makes the situation a moral dilemma. There will be no consequences of the man stopping in the woods except the ever-present feeling of guilt for doing it.

The next stanza emphasizes that what the man is thinking of doing, resting in the woods, is morally questionable. Stopping on his journey would mean that the man is not following through on his promises, which is not right. Even the horse thinks that the idea of the man putting off his duties is strange and improper. The darkness accentuates the wickedness of the man’s consideration of taking a break in the woods. Frost may even be comparing this immoral act to a sin. In this case, the tempting woods may be owned by the devil, who is trying to lure the man into being sinful and going against what is socially acceptable.

            Whereas the second stanza describes the atrocity of the man’s contemplation of relaxing in the woods, the third stanza depicts the allure of the woods and of the concept of doing what is wrong. Though the horse tries to warn him of the decadence of his thoughts, the wood’s enticement is much stronger in capturing the man’s attention. The snow is portrayed as “easy” and “downy.” It is soft, comfortable, and tranquil. These are all very attractive qualities, making it hard for the man to resist delaying his responsibilities and taking a luxurious nap in the dark, snowy, and tempting woods.

           
 However, even though the woods are charming and nearly irresistible, the man does the right thing in the end, showing that upholding morality and honor may be very difficult but will be rewarding in the long term because it will ease the guilt one feels after doing something unethical and help him or her sleep when the duty is done. The man decides to keep his promise and continue his travel, and he will not sleep until his task is complete. This is such a difficult thing to do that the man has to reassure himself by saying that he must keep going without resting two times to himself before he actually carries out this mission. Thus, doing the wrong thing is often easier and more tempting than doing the right thing, but it will haunt you and make you wish you had done the right thing to eliminate the guilt that comes from doing the wrong thing. This is the implied message I believe Frost wants to communicate with his poem.