Robert Lee Frost's Misunderstood Poems

Robert Lee Frost is one of the most famous American poets of all time. His work greatly reflects his life views and experiences. Frost’s poems may not be as simple as they seem. He often writes about the beauty of nature, but if you read closely there can be dark undercurrents beneath his work. What makes Frost’s poems so interesting is the idea that there is more than one way to interpret them. Frost’s poems are loved by many, but often misinterpreted as a result of their complexity and ambiguity, specifically The Road Not Taken and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, is one of his best known and most popular poems. However, it is also one of his commonly misunderstood poems. The Road Not Taken is about …show more content…
He’s on his way back to town, although he cannot seem to tear himself away from the lovely dark woods. Along with The Road Not Taken, this poem also appears to be complex and the meaning behind it can go in either direction. According to Michael R. Little, “Frost denied that he meant for the poem to evoke thoughts of suicide, yet many people interpret the poem that way.” Each individual’s interpretation may be equally argued, for Frost’s poems present just enough imagery to see the poem but not enough detail to thoroughly describe it. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and The Road Not Taken are two of Frost’s most well-known, memorable, and analyzed poems. This could be due to the fact that poems are open to a wide range of interpretations, which sparks curiosity among readers. Michael R. Little also adds, “Ultimately, this poem and The Road Not Taken manage the extraordinary task of telling us just enough of what someone thinks for us to understand the situation, but so little that we have compelling questions that can never be answered or that Frost willfully leaves unresolved.” This statement is extremely accurate, for we never really know exactly what Frost is thinking, which is what makes his poems so