Dark Pain In Robert Frost's Acquainted With The Night

The speaker in the poem “Acquainted with the Night” carries a dark secret within himself during his adventures of the night. Throughout the poem, the speaker alludes to this secret while telling of his walks through the city. After analyzing the poem, one can see the hidden pain that the speaker copes with. Frost reveals the speaker’s suffering, similar to a depression, through the somber lines and dark tone. Meyer’s attempts to argue that the setting of the poem is “located in the speaker’s mind or soul” rather than the speaker physically walking through a city (Meyer 711). However, there is no clear evidence for this idea that can be seen in the poem or in his argument. In fact, some lines of the poem negate Meyer’s point. I agree with Meyer …show more content…
The first being stated as, “I have outwalked the furthest city light” (3). The speaker goes past the limits of the city and light in this part of the poem referencing the idea of suicide. Going past the light in this instance could mean passing all hope and considering death due to the overwhelming suffering. This action could also literally mean leaving the city and the last of all the light to immerse the speaker in his own darkness and to isolate himself. The second action the speaker commits in the poem comes in the fourth stanza. At first, the line, “I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet” seems to support the notion of others being near the speaker, however, this actually aids the idea of isolation within the speaker’s mind (7). First, the speaker stands still himself and then the sounds of steps cease to be heard. Logically, this would mean the speaker is out alone and the only footsteps he was previously hearing were his own. The speaker is actually isolated within the city along with the isolation he feels within his own mind. The actions the speaker commits in the poem reveal the emotions he feels, however, the encounter with other characters in the poem take the idea of suffering and isolation …show more content…
The first situation is described as “When far away an interrupted cry / Came over houses from another street” (8-9). The speaker never truly meets the first character, however, he still encounters a vague scream in the distance. These two lines refute Meyer’s idea of the speaker being within his own mind or soul. Previously in the poem, the speaker states he is “unwilling to explain,” which references the suffering he feels in his mind (6). Since the speaker is refusing to explain his pain, he knows what it is and should be able to locate an agonizing scream within his own mind. Instead, this incident reveals the true darkness of the night, or it being the state for pain and suffering, similar to what the speaker feels. The second character the speaker encounters on his travels is an object referred to as the “luminary clock”(12), which hangs at an “unearthly height”(11). This is the only time light is brought up within the poem. Since light is the opposite of darkness, the “luminary clock” is the opposite of the speakers suffering (12). However, the idea of this light being at an “unearthly height” would mean it would be unobtainable for the speaker (11). The symbol of this clock in this poem is saying that the remedy for the speaker’s pain is out of reach. The final and only physical character the speaker sees is the watchman in the middle of the poem. The speaker states, “I