Symbolism Of Out, Out By Robert Frost

Robert Frost’s poem “Out, Out--“ appears to be, on the surface, about a young boy who, while working, cuts his hand with a saw and dies. When delving deeper into the poem it seems to be about death. Death comes for everyone, young and old, and it is often sudden and lacking reason. The narrator is originally very involved and emotional in the poem, but in the end becomes very detached. It is as if it is the only way the narrator can deal with the tragedy is to become distant from what is happening. Frost uses many literary devices to make this poem striking. Immediately, allusion can be found in the title of the poem itself. Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea. Allusion is often taken from literary …show more content…
Symbolism is a person, place, or thing in a narrative or poem that suggests meaning beyond its literal sense. Symbols usually contain multiple meanings and associations. The sunset described in the beginning of the poem is a symbol for the end of the boy’s life. Another symbol, which is also coincidentally personification, is the line about the saw having to, “bear a load”. The symbolism there is that the saw is having to carry the weight of what it has done to the boy in ending his life, which is also attributing human emotion to the saw. Figurative language can also be found in this poem. Figurative language is where words go beyond their defined meanings. Frost writes, “The doctor put him in the dark of ether.” I typically enjoy darker fiction and poems such as this. In fact, Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors. Yet I do not really care for this poem. It is honestly hard for me to pinpoint why exactly. Frosts writing has never been something I have cared for personally. Even with all of the darkness and intensity it just is not for …show more content…
Rhyme scheme is the repetition or arrangement of similar sounds in a poem or stanza. While most poems have some type of rhyme scheme this one does not. Frost uses this lack of rhyme scheme purposefully. Just as he wants the reader to see the uncertainty in life and death through his poems meaning, he also shows it in the physical layout of the poem with the uncertain way it is set up. Although I started off not particularly liking this poem and writing, as stated above, after analyzing it and looking deeper I have come to like it much more. I was pretty surprised with this realization and wanted to include it. Frost’s beautiful mastery of literary devices in this poem really got to me as a picked it a part for this essay. I feel even more strongly that Frost wants to show the suddenness of death and how even though you want it to be there and you look for it with all of your might there is seldom ever meaning in it. While the dead fade away into memory, the living must move