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Mending Wall : Key info

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Mending Wall is a notable literary work by Robert Frost. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Mending Wall.

Key info

Key Facts

    • Full Title: Mending Wall
    • Author: Robert Frost (1874–1963)
    • Title of the Author: The Poet of New England; Four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner
    • Source: Written after Frost’s return to New England from England. It reflects rural life and human relationships.
    • Written Time: 1913–1914
    • First Published: 1914 in North of Boston
    • Publisher: David Nutt (London)
    • Genre: Narrative Poem, Dramatic Monologue, Philosophical Poem
    • Form: Blank Verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
    • Rhyme Scheme: None (uses natural speech rhythm and conversational tone)
    • Tone: Reflective, ironic, questioning, and contemplative
    • Point of View: First-Person (the speaker reflects on his interaction with his neighbor while mending a wall)
    • Climax: The speaker questions the purpose of the wall, but the neighbor insists, “Good fences make good neighbours.”
  • Setting:
  • Time Setting: Early spring, during the annual repair of the wall after winter’s damage.
  • Place Setting: Rural New England countryside between two neighboring farms.
  • Key Notes 
  • Wall: The wall creates a boundary between people. It stands for distance and separation. Frost shows that people often build walls without a real reason.
  • Neighbor: The neighbor represents tradition. He believes in the saying “Good fences make good neighbours.” He follows it blindly without questioning.

 

Background: Robert Frost wrote “Mending Wall” in 1913 after returning from England to New England. The poem was published in North of Boston (1914). It is based on Frost’s real experience with his neighbor, Napoleon Guay, in New Hampshire. Every spring, they repaired the stone wall between their farms. During this work, Frost thought deeply about why people build walls between each other. The poem reflects both the beauty of rural life and the poet’s questioning mind. It explores friendship, separation, and tradition through a simple countryside scene.