The Death of the Hired Man : Key info
The Death of the Hired Man 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 The Death of the Hired Man.
Key info
Key Facts
- Full Title: The Death of the Hired Man
- Author: Robert Frost (1874–1963)
- Title of the Author: Poet of New England Life; Master of Rural Realism
- Source: Appeared in Frost’s first major poetry collection, North of Boston (1914)
- Written Time: 1905–1906 (composed during Frost’s years in New England and England)
- First Published: 1914
- Publisher: David Nutt (London)
- Genre: Narrative Poem, Dramatic Dialogue, Psychological Realism
- Form: Blank Verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter); written as a dialogue between husband and wife
- Rhyme Scheme: None (Blank Verse – unrhymed but rhythmically regular)
- Tone: Sympathetic, reflective, emotional, and philosophical
- Point of View: Third-person introduction followed by a dramatic dialogue between Mary and Warren
- Climax: Mary reveals that Silas “has come home to die,” and in the final moment, Warren finds him dead
- Famous Line: ‘Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in.’
- Setting:
- Time Setting: Early 20th-century rural New England, probably in autumn or early winter
- Place Setting: The farmhouse of Warren and Mary.
Key Notes
- Home: “Home” is the central symbol of the poem. Warren says, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in,” while Mary replies, “Something you somehow haven’t to deserve.” Here, home stands for love, forgiveness, and human shelter — a place where people are accepted not because they deserve it, but because of human compassion and kindness.