Why was Warren unwilling to hire Silas anymore?
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.
Answer
Why was Warren unwilling to hire Silas anymore? [NU: 2016, 20]
Robert Frost’s (1874-1963) poem “The Death of the Hired Man” (1914) tells the story of Silas, an old farm worker, who returns to Warren and Mary’s home in his last days. While Mary feels pity for Silas, Warren is not willing to take him back as a worker. Here are the reasons for Warren.
Silas’s Past Betrayal: Warren remembers how Silas left the farm during the busy haying season. It was a time when he was needed most. But Silas left work. This betrayal hurt Warren deeply. He feels that Silas cannot be trusted again. So, he is unwilling to take Silas back. As he reminds Mary:
“I told him so last haying, didn’t I?
If he left then… that ended it.”
Weakness: Warren also thinks that Silas is too old and weak. He is not useful anymore at this age. He believes that Silas cannot do the heavy work of the farm anymore. He says,
“What good is he?…
At his age for the little he can do?”
For Warren, hiring Silas again would only be a burden, not a help.
Selfishness: Moreover, Silas had a bad habit of working elsewhere for higher wages. Whenever Silas needed money, he would leave Warren’s farm to work for those who paid more. He only returned in winter when there was little work to do. For this selfishness, Warren does not want to hire Silas.
In fine, Warren was unwilling to hire Silas anymore because of his past betrayal and old age. To Warren, Silas was unreliable as a worker. However, the poem later shows that Silas did not return to work. He wanted to find a place he could call home in his last moments.