Introduction to “Mending Wall”
‘Mending Wall’ is one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems published in 1914 as a part of the second poetry collection, ‘North of Boston.’ The poem tells a quite philosophical, though very witty, story of a man who is repairing a wall dividing his plot and that of his neighbor. It deals with the concepts of interactions, relationships, and the fundamental ideas of social interactions.
The poem’s narrator and his neighbor Guillemet come every year to mend the barrier dividing their fields, thus the themes of the futility of walls between the people and the role of the barrier in their relationship emerge. The use of literary devices in the poem serve to strengthen the poem’s themes and give deeper understanding of the characters as well as the situations.
Literary Devices in “Mending Wall”
1- Imagery
In imagery, the writer uses the words and phrases to appeal to the imagination of the readers and create vivid pictures to them. Imagery is a very significant aspect of Frost’s “Mending Wall”, as it gives physical and figurative portrayal of the wall as well as the surrounding environment.
Following example of the imagery is the description of the wall itself:
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast”
The lines depict the wall condition and whatever was constructed is overgrown with dilapidated boulders that are falling apart and gaps that can accommodate two people walking through them. This brings out the idea of the forces of nature that are against the wall which is symbolical of attempts at making barriers that cannot be made.
Another example is the yearly habit of mending the wall:
“We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!”
Here, the use of imagery reflects the intricate and magical effort required to keep the wall intact. It emphasizes the absurdness and the artificial nature of the barrier.
2- Metaphor
Metaphor entails a comparison between two things that are in no way related. The basic idea to use the metaphors is to explain more about the boundaries, as well as relations of the people.
In this respect, the wall itself is one of the main symbols presented in the poem, which stands for physical and psychological barriers existent between the people. The speaker questions the need for the wall, suggesting that such barriers may be unnecessary:
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense”
This metaphorical questioning directs the readers to wider narrative of constructing walls whether they are physical or metaphorical and questions the usefulness of such walls.
3- Symbolism
Symbolism is a work that makes use of signs, symbols that contain meanings or qualities that are beyond the literal meaning. Symbolism is engaged by Frost in “Mending Wall” where he takes it a step further in developing themes of fences and people’s relationships to them.
The wall actually represents division and the boundaries people build isolate themselves. Throughout the poem, the wall symbolizes the boundaries in relationships and the distance between the individuals:
“Good fences make good neighbors”
The phrase is the repetition of the neighbor. It symbolizes the conventional wisdom that boundaries are necessary for good relationships. However, the speaker remains dubious of this notion.
4- Irony
Irony means the ability to suggest the opposite of what you actually mean in order to expose the discrepancy between the words and things, between what is said and done. In the poem, the irony is one of the tools that Frost employs to add more depth to the poem’s topics and dynamics of the characters.
The overall pivotal paradox of the poem is therefore the neighbor’s recurring dictum, “Good fences make good neighbors”. Although the neighbor repeats this maxim, the poem challenges it. The speaker’s reflections and the natural imagery suggest that walls may not be necessary and might even hinder true neighborliness:
“Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows”
The use of ironic questioning reflects the contradiction between the neighbor’s belief in the boundaries and the reality of their situation that no tangible need for a wall exists.
5- Personification
Personification is a type of imagery that involves exaggeration of human like qualities to non human things. The writer enhances the novel facets of personification to bring life to the features in nature.
The poem starts with the personification of the natural elements that disorder the wall:
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it”
Thus, attributing intention to the natural forces, Frost proclaims that it is nature itself that stands against the artificial restrictions created by the people. This personification underlines the constant thematic conflict about the human attempts to secure borders and limit contact with the other and the natural desire towards openness and connection.
Here is the example of personification of the stones:
“We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!”
Here, the personification gives a touch of humor to the poem. It emphasizes the
This personification adds a touch of humor to the poem and underscores the ridiculousness of the act of mending the wall. Moreover, it shows that the stones, like nature, resist the human effort to keep them in place.
6- Allusion
Allusion is considered as a reference to another text, person or event. The writer uses the allusion in poem by connecting its themes to broader cultural and literary contexts.
“He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.”
In the stanza, the use of phrase ‘He moves in darkness’ means a man who is still living in a state of ignorance or he is not enlightened. This allusion implies that the neighbor is physically and maybe even literally in the dark concerning the rationale for maintaining the structure seen in the wall.
By applying this allusion, Frost directs attention to the fact that neighbors blindly follow tradition. He highlights the themes of tradition and innovation along with the barrier that the people construct physically and mentally.
7- Dialogue
Dialogue in poetry employs features of conversation with the intent of interaction between the characters. Thus, the dialogue in “Mending Wall” helps to explain the relationship between the speaker and the neighboring man.
The poem features a back-and-forth exchange between the speaker and the neighbor, revealing their differing perspectives on the wall:
“He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows'”
Frost through this dialogue enunciates the tension between tradition and questioning. It indicates the curiosity of the speaker and the adherence of the neighbor towards the conventional wisdom.
8- Tone
Tone is the poet’s disposition towards the facts he is presenting to the audience. The tone of the poem changes from thoughtful, to almost childish, and then judgmental which mirrors the complex nature of themes.
The introspective tone is evinced in the speaker’s meditation about the wall and its purpose:
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense”
The use of reflective tone invites the readers to take into consideration the broader implications of the boundaries in their own lives.
The tone reflects the description of the speaker regarding the mending process and his thoughts about the neighbor:
“Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head”
In these lines, the tone creates a sense of lightness and humor to the poem. It contrasts with the more serious examination of the boundaries.
The writer uses the critical tone towards as under:
“He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees”
Here, the tone inform the skepticism of the speaker and critique of blind adherence to the tradition. It creates emphasizes on the exploration of the poem regarding the necessity and impact of boundaries.
9- Structure
Structure refers to the arrangement and shape of poems. “Mending Wall” is in blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter, which allows the poem to have simple and fluid language while still being following the laws of verse.
The poem’s format also reflects the process of repairing the wall; each act is recurring and cyclic. The annual task of repairing the wall is reflected in the poem’s regular meter and rhythm, creating a sense of tradition and routine::
“And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again”
The structured pattern of the poem contrasts with the questioning and contemplative content. It emphasizes the tension between tradition and change.
10- Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is the contrast of the two or more ideas, characters or elements together with a view of making distinctions. Thus, the oppositional approach to the issue is also used by Frost in “Mending Wall” with the focus on the main speaker and the neighbor.
The natural forces that disrupt the wall are juxtaposed with the human effort to maintain it:
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun”
Here, the contrast emphasizes the theme of nature and human intervention. It emphasizes the exploration of the necessity and impact of boundaries of the poem.
11- Enjambment
Enjambment is the continuation of one line across a line break. It creates the sense of movement and fluidity in the poem. Conversely, the choice of enjambment applied by Frost to “Mending Wall” improves the conversational emphasis and follows the ideas’ association.
For example, the line break between “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know / What I was walling in or walling out” creates a pause that emphasizes the speaker’s contemplative questioning:
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out”
Here, the use of enjambment reflects the reflective process of the speaker and creates a rhythmic quality to the poem.
Major Themes in mending wall
Boundaries and Relationships
One of the main theme in the poem is the notions of barrier and its influence on members of a community. It examines constructiveness of physical and psychological walls which separate individuals in their everyday lives and upon which main characters base their relationships.
Tradition vs. Change
The theme equally embraces the conflict between conservatism and reformism. The neighbor’s rigid approach speaks of a more conservative way of thinking focusing on the fact that walls are a sign of healthy relations.
See also: Juxtaposition vs Parallelism
