Summary Of Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

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Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” takes the reader on a journey through the his experience of traveling to snowy woods with his horse. The woods do not only provide the speaker with feelings of isolation, but with ideas of contemplation regarding his future actions.
In the first stanza, Frost emphasizes that he stops at a house in a village where he is watching the woods become covered in snow. In line 2, Frost says, “His house is in the village though.” The word village typically refers to houses that are located in a rural area with a small population. Since he is in a village, the reader knows that the area that is clear from the chaos of city life. In line 4, Frost says he is stopped outside of a house in the village, “To watch his woods fill up with snow.” The reader is able to get the impression that Frost admires the place and is in a state of contemplation. Frost watching the woods fill up with snow relates to a child looking outside to see the snow pile up on the sidewalk, or an adult looking out a window at the snow falling while deciphering the meaning of life. Since Frost is in the woods, it becomes clear to the reader that he is not watching the snow with a childlike innocence, but is contemplating his life’s choices.
A visual depiction of this can be found in a painting titled “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by artist Graham Pope. In the painting, a man is sitting on his horse while looking out into the snow covered woods.

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