stopping by the wood in a snowy evening 2024.

Analysis

Whosewoodsthese are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

First four lines are the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of this entire poem, with the important words being "though" and "his." The man in the sleigh believes he knows who the property owner is, the man this tract of woods belongs to. He also knows that if he is correct, the man won’t be around tonight on a snowy, cold evening. The word "though" conveys that thought; the idea that someone in the village would never be out and about during such weather. The use of the phrase "to watch HIS woods fill up with snow" shows resentment, as if the man should not have the right to regulate who can stop and gaze upon his woods. It also implies that the man in the sled is jealous and probably poor and overburdened by his obligations.

"Woods" – The word woods is repeated throughout the poem, indicating that it is a key word. The woods represent more than woods, though. The woods are irrationality and temptation. The woods tempt the speaker to enjoy nature instead of focusing on the task at hand.

"Snow" – Snow is usually thought to represent winter and purity because it is white. However, it contributes to another element of contrast. The white snow in the dark woods gives the poem another element of contrast.

My little horse must think it queer
. To stop without a farmhouse near
. Between the woods an frozen lake
. The darkest evening of the year.

This stanza, in developing the setting, tells us that the location is remote (without any nearby farmhouses), that the weather has been cold enough to freeze a lake, and that the evening is the darkest of the year. Darkest here could have more than one meaning, some writers have suggested–that is, the traveler could be depressed, downcast. However, the speaker/narrator says the horse probably thinks it odd that his master has stopped between the woods and lake on a dark evening. This observation suggests that the darkness is external only, for the speaker is using the word darkest to explain the horse’s reaction.

The horse’s reaction also reveals that it is very much out of the ordinary for this fellow to stop and take in a beautiful scene like this for the sake of simply doing so. His whole life seems regimented and structured, so that for him to just stop and be looking would make even his horse think it odd. His horse is "little"; he cannot afford a top level animal, again indicating a lack of status. The "a farmhouse" reference indicates that the driver has some sort of menial job that involves going between farms, perhaps as a delivery person or a peddler. Frost would have used the words "the farmhouse" or "my farmhouse" if this were not so. "Between the woods and frozen lake" paints the picture of the aloneness and isolation that this man is feeling as he sits in the cold. His situation in life and his point of view regarding it, indeed make this, for him at that moment, the "darkest evening of the year."

"Horse" – The horse is more than just a horse in the poem. The horse symbolizes the speaker’s conscious. When the speaker wants to give in to the beauty of the woods, the horse reminds him of his responsibility.

. He gives his harness bells a shake
. To ask if there is some mistake.
. The only other sound’s the sweep
. Of easy wind and downy flake

Sounds are important in this stanza–namely, the sounds of the bells, the wind, and the snowflakes. All of the sounds are gentle, contrasting with the cacophony of everyday life in a town.

Lines nine through twelve denote that the man’s responsibilities are calling him. It is the equivalent of "What are you thinking here? We have someplace to be right now." It is not the horse asking the question; it is the individual himself, trying to snap himself out of what he is experiencing. He looks around for answers, but there are none, only the "sweep of easy wind and downy flake." Not a cold, biting wind, an easy wind. Not a wet, stinging snow, rather it is a downy, soft floating snow. It is here, combined with the next line, that one gets the feeling that this man is contemplating ending his life, or at best, trying to escape his dull and unrewarding existence.

. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
. But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
. And miles to go before I sleep.

In this stanza, being in the woods causes the man to reflect on the larger tensions between duty, the promises he has to keep and the desire to do what he wants.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep." – The woods are a metaphor for the afterlife; a release from the pressures the man yearns to escape. How easy it would be to just stay there forever, to not return to the tedious reality that waits for him. Then he snaps out of it. The word "But" tells us how he reluctantly gives in, almost surrendering to his fate. Frost could have used the word "yet" as in "Yet I have promises to keep." "Yet" would have at least meant that the man felt that the promises were worth keeping, and that his family was worth all he went through for them. "But" points toward his hopelessness and what he sees as lack of courage to escape the life he despises. And he knows that the rest of his life will be the same monotonous routine until he finally does get any relief from death