Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' depicts the theme of obsession and the succ... more Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' depicts the theme of obsession and the success of that obsessed mind to get rid of its obsession thinking about the promises which the speaker must keep. Here the most important part lies in the symbolism of 'conscience' by the 'little horse'. This conscience compels the badly obsessed mind to think and in its success the mind thinks and realizes the pointlessness of being obsessed. Frost presents the speaker of the poem as a horse rider who is tempted to stay longer stopping by a lovely scenario of a snowy evening. But his little horse' understanding of the futility to stay there and shaking of its body, shakes the mind of the traveler and he realizes the pull of obligations and the considerable distance yet to be travelled. This stopping resembles the theme of obsession as an obsessed mind stops thinking of anything else without the desired object and the realization of the mind in the last stanza suggests the success of it to get rid of the obsession. In the very first stanza Frost talks about 'woods' which may be an area where there are many trees but the area does not belong to the narrator or the speaker of the poem. He, on his way, suddenly stops in a woody area of someone else whom the speaker knows. Even the speaker knows that his stopping in that area will be unknown to the actual owner, who lives in the village. Frost begins-" Whose woods these 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. " The last line describes the cause of stopping in this area and, that is, to watch the beauty, the magnificence of the woods' filling up with snow. These four lines, therefore, express a totally obsessed mind and the reason of obsession is the term 'beauty' which is very common in the case of obsession. The poet may want to exemplify the thousands of people who pass their whole life hankering after beauty or rather subjectivity. These kinds of people do not make a quest for objectivity which is the beauty in itself as the realm of objective beauty is far away from their thinking. They cannot be a true seeker of knowledge which lies in objectivity. An obsessed mind never understands that its obsession is mere subjectivity and it is totally pointless. This obsessed mind, therefore, stops thinking practically just like the traveler in this poem stops in an area where he should not stop and stare at the beauty of that place. The obsessed mind cannot understand the danger which he might encounter stopping there. This mind is only emotional which always is mastered by its senses. This can also be interpreted in a somewhat different way. It is considered that human mind always posses the intention to touch or glut something which is prohibited. Anything that is prohibited seems a matter of supreme interest to mankind. Here the speaker stops in a place which is not his own and of another people known to him. He thinks that there is no harm in stopping here because the master of that place will not see him. So, the speaker gets into a prohibited area and gluts the beauty of woods filling up with snow. This beauty of the lovely snowy evening can be interpreted as the intention of human mind to consider everything beautiful which is but of others object. The house of a friend seems more beautiful or the wife of a neighbor seems more attractive. Here also the traveler stops in a place of others belonging thinking that it is very beautiful. It is like the myth of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve used to have all the blessings being in heaven but they finally show their characters by eating the forbidden fruit. The obsession of Adam and Eve regarding the forbidden apple can be compared
Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' depicts the theme of obsession and the succ... more Robert Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' depicts the theme of obsession and the success of that obsessed mind to get rid of its obsession thinking about the promises which the speaker must keep. Here the most important part lies in the symbolism of 'conscience' by the 'little horse'. This conscience compels the badly obsessed mind to think and in its success the mind thinks and realizes the pointlessness of being obsessed. Frost presents the speaker of the poem as a horse rider who is tempted to stay longer stopping by a lovely scenario of a snowy evening. But his little horse' understanding of the futility to stay there and shaking of its body, shakes the mind of the traveler and he realizes the pull of obligations and the considerable distance yet to be travelled. This stopping resembles the theme of obsession as an obsessed mind stops thinking of anything else without the desired object and the realization of the mind in the last stanza suggests the success of it to get rid of the obsession. In the very first stanza Frost talks about 'woods' which may be an area where there are many trees but the area does not belong to the narrator or the speaker of the poem. He, on his way, suddenly stops in a woody area of someone else whom the speaker knows. Even the speaker knows that his stopping in that area will be unknown to the actual owner, who lives in the village. Frost begins-" Whose woods these 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. " The last line describes the cause of stopping in this area and, that is, to watch the beauty, the magnificence of the woods' filling up with snow. These four lines, therefore, express a totally obsessed mind and the reason of obsession is the term 'beauty' which is very common in the case of obsession. The poet may want to exemplify the thousands of people who pass their whole life hankering after beauty or rather subjectivity. These kinds of people do not make a quest for objectivity which is the beauty in itself as the realm of objective beauty is far away from their thinking. They cannot be a true seeker of knowledge which lies in objectivity. An obsessed mind never understands that its obsession is mere subjectivity and it is totally pointless. This obsessed mind, therefore, stops thinking practically just like the traveler in this poem stops in an area where he should not stop and stare at the beauty of that place. The obsessed mind cannot understand the danger which he might encounter stopping there. This mind is only emotional which always is mastered by its senses. This can also be interpreted in a somewhat different way. It is considered that human mind always posses the intention to touch or glut something which is prohibited. Anything that is prohibited seems a matter of supreme interest to mankind. Here the speaker stops in a place which is not his own and of another people known to him. He thinks that there is no harm in stopping here because the master of that place will not see him. So, the speaker gets into a prohibited area and gluts the beauty of woods filling up with snow. This beauty of the lovely snowy evening can be interpreted as the intention of human mind to consider everything beautiful which is but of others object. The house of a friend seems more beautiful or the wife of a neighbor seems more attractive. Here also the traveler stops in a place of others belonging thinking that it is very beautiful. It is like the myth of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve used to have all the blessings being in heaven but they finally show their characters by eating the forbidden fruit. The obsession of Adam and Eve regarding the forbidden apple can be compared
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