Robert Frost, the author of “The Road Not Taken,” writes about how a person must choose his or her own path in life. Everyone is a traveler, who must choose how to live his or her life. This poem demonstrates Robert Frost’s belief that the road a person chooses to follow in their life will define what kind of person they will become, and how fulfilling their life will be. He describes the choice as difficult, and with consequences. He reminds the reader that their choice may not be popular. Furthermore, the reader is reminded that you cannot change the decision made after you have acted on it.
Frost advises the reader that there is not an always a right or wrong choice, however the choices made will affect future choices. The reader is also informed that they may have regret about the road they choose to follow. The title of this poem, “The Road Not Taken,” implies a strong feeling of regret. I do not believe that was Robert Frost’s intentions. I believe that this poem make a strong statement supporting the right choice. Frost does recognize that making the correct choice could be difficult. The road the traveler chooses may not be the easiest, however it is the may be most rewarding.
In the first stanza, Frost describes how difficult it is to make a decision about which road to choose. He states, “And sorry I could not travel both” This represents the struggle to make the right decision. The reader senses the traveler’s regret. The decision seems impossible, because a person cannot help but wonder about the opportunities that would be missed if they choose the wrong path. In addition, it illustrates the speaker knowledge that in one’s lifetime, it is impossible to travel down every path. In line four, the traveler attempts to make the correct decision about which path to follow.
Frost writes, “And looked down one as far as I could” The reader senses the traveler’s hesitation to make a decision about which path to follow. This line reminds the reader that they cannot see the future; the road leads to the unknown. A person must make a choice that is appropriate for them. The decision has now been made, thus the journey begins. In the second stanza, Frost writes about the less traveled path, “it was grassy and wanted wear. ” This demonstrates that most people choose the other path: the choice made by the traveler was not a popular one.
The path chosen was obviously not for everyone because it seemed that the majority of people took the other path. He describes the path in the final stanza as, “the road less traveled by. ” This indicates that the traveler is a person who does not necessarily follow the crowd but his or her own heart. In the third stanza, Frost describes the ground. He writes, “And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black. ” These lines portray the path as a point where no one else has crossed in a long time. A choice must be made by the traveler.
This choice is a new one for the traveler. The traveler feels like he or she is at point where they have to make a decision that no one else had ever had to make before. Frost writes, “I kept the first for another day! ” The traveler wants delay the decision of which path to follow. The traveler does not want to regret the decision he or she needs to make. He or she desires to travel down both paths, which is a typical feeling. Nevertheless, the choice is made. The traveler chooses the least followed path, and continues his or her journey.
Frost ends the third stanza with the traveler contemplating his or her choice, “I doubted if I should ever come back. At this point, the traveler is acknowledging that his or her choice will affect every other choice he or she will make after this choice is completed. Once a person makes a choice and acts own it, they cannot turn back, it cannot be undone. The choice will reflect what kind of person the traveler has become. In the last stanza, regret hangs over the traveler. Frost writes, “Somewhere ages and ages hence. ” This specifies that the traveler realize he or she may have wanted to travel down the path not chosen originally.
Second-guessing ones decision is a common trait in a people. This trait makes people human. Even though the traveler ponders his or hers original choice, the traveler is proud of the decision to travel down the less traveled path. The last two lines say, “I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. ” To this person, they choose the correct path. It helped them to grow into the person they desired to be. This was important to them. The choice affected the traveler’s entire life and they made a difference, in the world.
The traveler chose to be an individual verses part of the popular crowd. The traveler is proud of his or her choice, and realizes that they would not be the person if they have become if they would have chosen the other path to follow. Robert Frost chooses not to reflect on any particular life decision for this poem. The result being, the poem applies to countless choices people face in their lifetime. He asserts that people cannot have it all. Choices are made with the knowledge that a person must give up something with each decision made.