“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost creates a very vivid and realistic picture of the forest. The first line familiarizes the reader with the fact that the area is known to the person stopping. This could mean that it is either a friend or someone they simply know of. It is not clear which one it is but it seems that the traveler is thankful that they cannot be seen from the house that is some distance away, in the village. The writer is not giving clues on gender, age or personal characteristics of who the person stopping is. But there is a clear indication that the “woods” belong to someone and this person is known to the rider. This can be seen as a connection but at the same time distance between people in the world. We seem to know someone, call them “friend” but in reality, how well do we know them? It is hard to contemplate the feelings and thoughts of others, even after knowing them for many years. The title prepares and draws a general picture of what to expect and the first lines of the poem create a scene in mind, characterized by falling snow, evening and aloneness. Because it is evening, the atmosphere is more mysterious and special. It is a moment where nature is “resting” and a human can observe its peaceful state. These moments happen in everyone’s life when an individual can think about higher things, about own existence and its purpose. Next, the main character gives the horse individuality when wondering that it must be thinking about the reasons why they have stopped here in the middle of the road. When the adjective “little” is used in relation to the horse, it shows that this horse is dear to its owner and they have a positive relationship, as far as one can go between a human and a horse. It becomes obvious that they have known each other for some time. There must be many stories that they have experienced, in the process becoming friends. The atmosphere is very surreal, as it is dark and the snow is “filling up” the forest. The lines when the reader finds out that there are no farmhouses nearby and that the particular place of the stop is between a frozen lake and the trees indicate the remoteness of the area. This, once again, reinforces the image of natural, “untouched” scenery where a person could get lost in the moment.
The specification that this evening is the one which is darkest shows how private and unique this moment is. The depth and darkness of the forest can be aligned with a person’s life when they feel alone, in one of the darkest places and there is no one close by to talk to. Morally, it represents the deepest parts of the human soul where an individual, their character and nature become one and there is peace and unity. Nothing can go wrong in such a moment and the surrounding environment almost works together with a person, to create such a connection. And then the horse shakes its head and rings the bells on its neck. The horse is displeased with the situation and this is another attribution of an almost human character. The horse is possibly a representation for the clear mind and logical thinking. It shakes its head to get rid of the mysterious and dreamy state and get back to the true understanding of things. This brings the reality back into being and is a break between the physical and immaterial worlds. At it is extremely quiet, the sound of the bells stands out in the silence and the only other sound, which would not be noticed if it wasn’t for the calmness of the night, is the wind and flakes of snow moving. This reinforces how the forest is itself “dreaming” and thus is creating the feeling of immaterial existence. The lonely traveler acknowledges how beautiful the night and the forest are. The depth of the woods is repeated here, reminding that this is a very distant place from any civilization where a person is searching inside their own soul, looking for the meaning of life. But even though this moment is much needed there are things that are more important and the time in the woods must be sacrificed for something else. The “promises” keep the rider going; it is evident that these are important matters. The support for this is seen in the last two lines where it is said that there is still much travelling and work ahead before any rest can be taken. This is another pointer, which illustrates that the person has had a long ride and probably, has been dealing with serious matters and so, feels wiped out and exhausted. This hint in relation to promises and the hardships that must be dealt with in order to keep the given word, makes the reader wonder where this person is going, what they do in life and where they are from. This is a connecting line to the personal search for the self. Every person tries to understand who they are and what is most important to them. In the poem it is stated that the most important thing to this person right now, is to keep the “promises”.