Robert Frost Home Burial Essay

“Home Burial” was written by Robert Frost in 1914. This poem is a tremendously, emotionally charged narrative which is centered around a couple arguing about their dead child. At the start od the poem, the woman barely speaks to the man at all. When she decides to talk, he hardly listens to what she says. The wife, Amy, is clearly grieving over the loss of her baby. Her husband doesn't seem to care about his child’s death, which is why there is conflict between him and his wife. They are clearly incapable of communicating properly in a way that a couple, in love, should. The inability of the husband and wife to communicate with each other and express their grief about the death of their child is what destroys the marriage. Through Frost’s …show more content…
The wife calls the husband “Blind…” (Frost, 16) because he cannot understand her pain of losing her child. Blind means you are unable to see, which is what the wife is referring to. The husband is not physically blind, but emotionally blind. In a “good” relationship, the people involved should be able to tell what is wrong with the other and why it is bothering that person. However, in this relationship, it is not happening due to the poor communication between the speakers and the lack of understanding for the other person. Frost uses the word “sank” (8) to describe how she sat on the steps. However, this can also be used to describe her relationship with her husband. Sink means to fall or collapse. This describes their marriage very well. Because of the dysfunction and lack of communication, their relationship is weakening and falling apart. In line 31, Frost uses the words “withdrew” and “shrinking” to describe how the wife got away from her husband. In regards to the relationship between the speakers, “withdraw” means refers to how the wife wants an exit. She feels trapped in the relationship. She is already emotionally withdrawn from her husband, now she wants to be physically withdrawn. The word “shrinking” refers to how the husband belittles the tragedy of their loss. He makes the death seem insignificant. He also belittles his wife’s emotions. In line 76, Frost uses the words “leap” and “lightly” when the wife talks about how her husband should their child’s grave. “Leap” and “lightly” are not sad words, they are cheerful. Frost chose these words to describe the husband's attitude towards the dead child. The husband is not mourning the death of his child but ignoring it. He continues to go about his everyday life as if it never happened. He believes the whole situation is insignificant and his wife should have an attitude like him. Both speakers are,