Mending Wall : Quotations
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.
Quotations
Quotes
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,”
Explanation: The speaker begins the poem by saying that some natural force “doesn’t love a wall.” Here, nature is personified as having feelings against boundaries.
“Good fences make good neighbours.”
Explanation: This famous line, repeated twice, is a proverb spoken by the neighbor. It reflects traditional belief in maintaining boundaries for peace. Yet Frost uses it ironically, as the poet questions whether separation truly builds friendship or destroys it.
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,”
Explanation: The speaker questions the purpose of building walls without understanding what or whom they separate. The “wall” symbolizes social, emotional, and psychological barriers. The irony lies in people blindly maintaining divisions.
“He moves in darkness as it seems to me,”
Explanation: The “darkness” here is not literal but symbolic. It represents the neighbor’s ignorance and blind attachment to old beliefs.