Allyssa Rae E.

Pano
BSED English 3D

Robert Frost’s Poem “The Road Not Taken” from the vantage point

of New Criticism Theory

The poem, The Road Not Taken, is published by American poet Robert Frost in 1951. It is a

narrative poem that highlights the struggle of the main character who is trying to select the right

way when facing a diversion but is unable to make up his mind. It was originally written as a

joke for Frost’s friend, Edward Thomas. When the two of them went for walks, Thomas was

frequently unable to decide which route they should take and, looking back, often regretted not

choosing the alternative. Frost has provided the world with a work of literature with this poem

that everyone can definitely relate to, particularly when it comes to the idea of choices and

opportunities in life.

New criticism theory is an approach to literature that gained popularity in the 20th century and

emerged from the formalist movement. The term "New Criticism," which was first used in 1941

by John Crowe Ransom in his book The New Criticism, came to refer to a philosophy and

method that dominated American literary criticism up until the late 1960s. It placed a strong

emphasis on closely reading a piece of literature to fully understand how it functioned as a self-

contained, self-referential aesthetic object. New Critics held that the structure and meaning of the

text were closely related and should not be examined independently. They sought to eliminate

the reader's response, the author's intention, historical and cultural settings, and moralistic

prejudice from their analysis. 

Studying a piece of prose or poetry required careful, exacting analysis of the piece itself. Formal

features including rhyme, meter, setting, characterization, and plot were used to determine the

theme of the text. The New Critics also searched for ambiguity, paradox, irony, and tension to

help establish the best and most consistent unified interpretation of the text. In order to interact

with a work, the New Critics emphasized "close reading" and paid special attention to the

interactions between form and meaning. By employing the New Criticism theory, the reader is

expected to be able to analyze a literary work solely on the basis of the text, without reference to

the author's background or other factors, and by doing so, the reader is also expected to be able to

comprehend the deeper significance and value of the literary work they have read by

investigating the text itself. It also explains and shows how New criticism works in analyzing a

literary piece of literature.

Making both small and large decisions is an essential part of living a meaningful life. Regardless

of its degree of severity, a decision requires making choices. Every man faces a ‘fork in the

road’ at some point in his life and must decide which direction to go. Making decisions can be

difficult, especially when they could have a significant impact on one's life. Man must make

decisions from a variety of options during his life, such as which religion to follow, which side to

support, which proposal to accept, whom to accommodate, and so on. The man ultimately

becomes what he is as a result of his decisions. This is why weighing the advantages and

disadvantages of a decision and taking its effects into account are both crucial. Robert Frost's

poem "The Road Not Taken" conveys the truth about the choices in life that the human race has

to face. Decisions are frequently made between options that are popular but incorrect and vice

versa. The man occasionally has no choice but to act or not act. He must make a final decision in

any of the aforementioned challenging situations, which he initially believes to be ‘the better
choice’ but subsequently continues to doubt. This paper is my humble attempt to analyze one of

Frost's extremely well-known works from the perspective of New Criticism. The analysis runs

from the poem’s title, symbolism, form, rhyme, meter, point of view, setting, sound, and themes.

The title “The Road Not Taken” gives way to its interpretation. A typical reading of the poem

would lead one to believe that it is about "The Road Not Taken" and "The Road Less Traveled,"

as identified by Frost in his poem. This is implied in the lines "Two roads diverged in a yellow

wood/ And looked down one as far as I could,/ Then took the other as just as fair" (lines 1;4;6).

Most readers misinterpret the poem to focus on the road chosen by the traveler mentioned in the

line "I took the one less traveled by," which refers to the path that is the less common choice of

most people. However, it is clear from the poem's title and the details of the poem that "The

Road Not Taken" is its main focus. The reader will get an indication from a careful examination

of the symbolism that the poem is actually a metaphor for the traveler's rumination on the

opportunities he missed out on by choosing the other way. It is true that "two roads diverged in a

yellow wood." According to a close reading of the poem, Frost's wanderer comes across two

almost identical paths (Pritchard, 1984). Due to their similarities, which one to choose caused

him to consider his options. He is in a challenging circumstance. He is unable to take both.

Despite not knowing what is ahead, he must decide and take one road. As a result, he must

forfeit his opportunity to follow the other. Hence to make this poem, the frightening queries

"What if I take the opposite road?" and "Would life be different?” supports the title.

‘Road’ is a word that appears frequently and symbolically throughout the poem. The decision the

speaker took in his life is referenced all across the poem. The same goes for us. Every time we

make a choice, we reject the alternative and forfeit the opportunity to learn what it might have to

offer. Whether the choice we make is good or bad, it affects who we are. On the other hand, the
rejected option isn't really rejected because it raises a crucial query, prompting the inquiry,

"What if I chose the other option, would it make a difference?” The lines from the poetry "The

Road Not Taken" that contain or allude to the word ROAD are as follows, along with an

explanation of their symbolic meaning. “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood”, the road

represents a decision that a man must make (line 1). Regardless of his current situation, he will

occasionally be forced to make a decision that prevents him from considering other options.

“And looked down one as far as I could/ To where it bent in the undergrowth”, in these two lines

the road represents the future (lines 4-5). The traveler makes an effort to glimpse into the future,

but he is unable to foresee the effects of his decision. “Then took the other (road) just as fair”,

this line serves as a metaphor for a choice between two unlikely but potentially excellent

alternatives or futures. “Oh, I kept the first for another day!/ Yet knowing how way leads on to

way/ I doubted if I should ever come back”, the three lines serve as a metaphor for a crucial

choice in life (lines 13-15). Sometimes we wish we had made a different option, but it is not

always possible. Retracing steps is no longer an option because some decisions have an impact

on others. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I/ I took the one less traveled by/ And that has

made all the difference.”, the extended metaphor in the poem's beginning is reinforced using the

repetition technique, and the metaphor is wrapped up in the last two lines (lines 18-20). There is

confirmation that the traveler took a route that was less traveled. His life has transformed as a

result of that decision.

Aside from the symbolism, there are also rhymes in the poem. For instance, the opening stanza's

lines 1, 3, and 4 rhyme. This is visible by the words wood, stood, and could. Lines 2 and 5 of the

second stanza rhyme, as shown by the terms claim and same, while lines 3 and 4 rhyme, as

shown by the terms wear and there. Lines 1, 3, and 4 of the third stanza rhyme with the terms
lay, day, and way. In the same verse, the terms black and back also rhyme. Finally, as shown by

the words I and by, lines 1 and 5 rhyme. Moreover, there are four stanzas in the poem. Five lines

make up each stanza. They are known as quintains. Each quintain adheres to the ABAAB rhyme,

as shown in the first stanza:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, (A)

And sorry I could not travel both (B)

And be one traveler, long I stood (A)

And looked down one as far as I could (A)

To where it bent in the undergrowth; (B)

The poem is essentially iambic because it uses an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed

syllable. The majority of these variations, however, have two unstressed syllables followed by a

stressed syllable. Poetry written in iambic pentameter typically contains five feet or units of

stressed and unstressed syllables. However, the poem only includes four. As a result, this poem's

rhythm and rhyme pattern do not always adhere to the usual poetic meter. This feature sets this

particular Frost poem apart from other works of poetry, much like the speaker in the poem, who

makes an effort to stand out by choosing ‘The Road Less Traveled.’

Someone who is having difficulty making a significant decision in his life is the voice that

addresses the reader. "Two diverged roads" and "...I could not travel both" are examples of how

this is expressed. As a metaphor for the speaker's age, using "the falling leaves" and "the yellow

woods”, we can assume that he is in his forties or fifties. During this stage of a man's life,

decisions are frequently important and challenging. This is true since there isn't enough time to

reverse or go back on the course already traveled if a decision is made and then later questioned.
The remark "Oh, I kept the first for another day!" is another example of the speaker's

impulsivity. After considering one path, he quickly chooses the other after realizing that they are

nearly identical. Such impulses typically result in regrettable choices and afflict the person in the

long run. The phrase "I shall be telling this with a sigh" serves as an example of this assertion.

The setting of the poem was the woods or the forest. The plot begins with the speaker going

through the ‘yellow woods’, coming into contact with nature. During this journey, he comes

across ‘two diverged roads.’ He is not in a rush as he ‘stood there long’ to consider which road

to choose. This indicates that the speaker had a lot of trouble making a decision. Still, in the

morning hours, both roadways are covered in fresh leaves. While the second road is grassy, the

first road's view is obscured by tiny plants. Since it is still early in the morning, hardly any traffic

is visible on either road. The line "In leaves no step had trodden black" illustrates this. The

setting captures the overall impact of the speaker's struggle to make a significant life-altering

choice. We have the same experience as the speaker, who strolls slowly through the woods

before pausing and deciding which road to take, as implied by the poem's pace. The speaker isn't

sure which direction to take. By making a different choice, he hopes to stand apart. The issue is

that, upon closer inspection of the two options, the speaker finds that they are roughly the same,

which makes decision-making more difficult.

The rhythm and structure of the poem "The Road Not Taken" reflect this complexity. It has a

difficult form and a challenging rhythm. It is essentially iambic, with various modifications, the

majority of which are anapestic, as stated. Iambics are frequently written in pentameter in poetry.

This poem, though, is written in iambic tetrameter. This poetry isn't like most other poems, just

like the speaker, who attempts to stand out by choosing his own way. The concept of choice

dominates the poem's main theme. The speaker struggles with making decisions throughout the
entire poem. Frost's "The Road Not Taken" is criticized by Jay Parini as a complicated poem

about two choices that are almost identical, as stated in Pritchard (1984). According to Arp and

Johnson (2009), the speaker of the poem speculates about the outcome of his life if he had

chosen a different course. Frost connects his poetry to the life of his readers. The majority of

people resemble the poem's speaker. They take their time making decisions, and even after they

do, they often second-guess themselves. A few realities that every man must deal with at some

point in his life include expressing the struggles he faces in life, navigating the uncertainties of

the future brought on by his life-changing choices today, and being pleased with the choice

made. This is what “The Road Not Taken” is all about.

On our life's journey, diverging roads are something we frequently encounter. When we examine

each road, we occasionally come to the knowledge that they are both equally traveled or

untraveled, which increases the difficulties of the decision. Depending on our principles and

aspirations, we must take one step at a time. We never know what will happen in the future as we

make decisions, but we can be sure that those choices will have an impact on our life. Does

anyone know if he will be content with his decision or not? None, except when the timing is

right. And when that moment arrives, he understands he must make a different choice. This time,

his decision will indicate if he is happy or lonely, and that is when the difference is made.

The phrase "Two roads diverged" is repeated in the first and last stanzas to remind us of the

opportunity to decide and make a choice. As Mark Richardson wrote, “Our paths unfold

themselves to us as we go. We realize our destination only when we arrive at it, though all along

we were driven towards it by purposes we may rightly claim, in retrospect, as our own” (182).

“A close analysis of the poem reveals that it not only represents the courage to be oneself but

also offers a unique illustration of man's self-encounter and self-division" (Trikha 113). Robert
Frost's poem demonstrates how a person's daily choices affect the rest of his life. We are

encouraged by Frost's poetry to ignore peer pressure. We will never be able to allow ourselves to

make a difference if we decide to live our lives just like everyone else. In this paper, new

criticism theory was used to analyze the literary work which means that the focus was only on

the text itself to interpret the piece ignoring its historical, biographical, and sociological

background. According to Parker in How to Interpret Literature, readers may be interested in the

author's background or biography, but many critics think that the meaning of the literary work is

found in the text itself because the author's background or biography cannot be relied upon to

determine the meaning of the literary work (Parker 13). In conclusion, new Criticism is still

important to be employed because this theory focuses only on the text, so the validity of the

text's meaning is reasonable. Additionally, a literary work is not always based on the author's

history, so we must carefully study the text in order to fully comprehend the literary work that

we are going to analyze.

 REFERENCES

“An Analysis of Robert Frost's Poem: ‘The Road Not Taken.’” Studylib.net,

https://studylib.net/doc/8432081/an-analysis-of-robert-frost-s-poem--%E2%80%9Cthe-

road-not-taken%E2%80%9D.

Arp,T. and Johnson, G. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 10th edition. New

York: Wadsworth, 2009.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "John Crowe Ransom". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30

Jun. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Crowe-Ransom. Accessed 20

December 2022.

“New Criticism in Literature; Characteristics & Examples.” English Summary, 12 Dec. 2017,

https://englishsummary.com/new-criticism/.

Parker, Roger. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies,

Oxford University Press, New York, 2015, p. 13.

Pritchard, W. Frost: A Literary Life Reconsidered. New York: Oxford University Press, 1984.

“Robert Frost Biography.” Edited by Biography.com, Biography.com, A&E Networks

Television, 1 Dec. 2021, https://www.biography.com/writer/robert-frost.

 APPENDICES

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Biography of Robert Frost

“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned

about life: it goes on.”

Robert Lee Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San

Francisco, California. He is one of the greatest poets of

the 20th century and the purest classical lyricist in

America. He was an American poet who portrayed

realistic New England life through language and situations familiar to the common man. Before

the death of his journalist father, William Prescott Frost Jr., from tuberculosis, he spent the first

11 years of his life in San Francisco.

Following his father's passing, Frost moved to Lawrence, Massachusetts, along with his mother

and sister Jeanie. Frost enrolled in Lawrence High School after they relocated to live with his

grandparents.

At Lawrence High School, where he received his education, Frost excelled in Latin and English

courses and found a connection between the romantic balladry of his Scottish ancestors and the

poetry of Virgil. In 1892, his grandfather persuaded him to enroll in Dartmouth's pre-law

program, but Frost dashed any dreams of becoming a lawyer within the first few months.

Moreover, it is possible to characterize Robert Frost's poetry as conversational, rural,

realistic, and introspective. Frost got more than 40 honorary degrees over his lifetime. He

received payment from the New York Independent for his first piece of published work, "My

Butterfly: An Elegy," (1894) which also served as the catalyst for the self-published collection

Twilight (1894). "Fire and Ice," "Mending Wall," "Birches," "Out Out," "Nothing Gold Can

Stay," and "Home Burial" are just a few of his well-known pieces. Graduation ceremonies

frequently feature readings of his 1916 poem "The Road Not Taken" across the United States. 

Frost won the first of his four Pulitzer Prizes for his book New Hampshire, which he published in

1924. Later, he would be awarded Pulitzer Prizes for A Witness Tree (1937), A Further Range

(1937), and Collected Poems (1931). (1943). In 1960, Frost received the Congressional Gold

Medal from Congress. He also delivered a speech at John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

Frost rose to prominence as a poet and the unofficial "poet laureate" of the US.

Frost passed away on January 29, 1963, as a result of prostate surgery complications. In

Bennington, Vermont, he is buried in a family plot with his ashes.