Another theme of Design is death. The questions the narrator asks about death, and life allows him to become self aware. The pondering of death and the cycle around it seem to fascinate the writer. The three characters; the moth, spider, and the heal-all, are all symbols of death and destruction. The symbolism between the three challenges the beliefs people may have in a higher being. Without death, people would not have to believe in a ‘God’. The narrator understands this, and questions if there really is a higher being. Robert Frost shows he accepts and understands death as a natural part of life.
