Theme of alienation in Robert Frost’s poetry

Answer

Discuss the theme of alienation in Robert Frost’s poetry.

As we know, Robert Frost (1874-1963) is a poet of human psychology; all aspects of human psychology are certainly present in his poems, which is why alienation or isolation is one of the prime themes of his poetry.

The key concept of alienation: The word alienation or isolation belongs to human psychology. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, alienation means a feeling that does not belong to a particular group. It is considered a disaster of human life because it is related to frustration, which destroys a human being like a slow poising. In Frost’s poetry, sundry aspects of isolation are noticed.

Isolation from the immediate environment: The isolation of man from the instant environment is a broad concept in Frost’s poetry. The term instantaneous environment refers to society, nature, sky, stars, and God. By the notion of isolation from the instantaneous environment, the poet means to imply that man feels the pain of being isolated from all, even from the soul, and of eternal loneliness.

The destiny of man determines the poet’s philosophical view of life, and the destiny of man is alone, detached from all things and beings in the universe. Through this notion of isolation, Robert Frost emphasizes that the feeling of isolation is inevitable for us, but it should be enjoyed to the best of our ability.

Isolation from society: One of Frost’s significant strategies for managing the issue of isolation is that people become isolated from their own society. It has appeared in several poems. “Mending Wall” is a poem where the poet expresses this kind of isolation. The main idea of ​​the poem is that the young speaker of the poem is disturbed by the idea of ​​his old neighbor:

Good fences make good neighbors

If the above short of the poem “Mending Wall” is read from a wide and symbolic point of view, it will reveal that man is separated from people, race, and ethnicity. Even international isolation is hidden in the above short line. So, Frost has made it clear to us that the suffering of human beings from isolation is not just because of one’s own destiny. It is rather interwoven, like the ecological balance of the environment.

Alienation from God: The theme of isolation has made Frost religious because his opinion about man’s apartness from God is strong evidence of his religious faith that cannot be denied. He thinks that strong reasoning results in separation from God. Unconditional surrender to God is a must to set up a blissful mystic communion with him. The poem “The Road Not Taken” is of strong reasoning. It expresses the crisis of choice and the absence of prayer.

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

So, the poet suggests that in times of problem, people must be a decision-maker, but they should depend on God too so that separation never comes in life. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is an epoch-making poem by Frost in which the poet shows different types of isolation of the speaker, such as apartness from society and God.

He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

In the poem “Home Burial,” the poet represents the dreadful separation of women.

Considering the above discussion, it is our right to declare that Frost is unique in his ability to handle the issue of isolation, by which he spreads the message that as long as the earth exists, there will be isolation or alienation. Still, it must be defended with courage and cunning.