Mending Wall as a poem that ends in wisdom
Robert Frost’s famous saying, “A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom” shows his own
philosophy of life and poetic composition. His philosophy of life is based on faith in Nature
and in the unity of all life. Such an outlook fills one’s mind with delight and leads to the gaining
wisdom. Frost’s notable poem “Mending Wall” is a typical example of his poetry which begins
in delight and ends in wisdom.
The poem involves two characters, two rural neighbours who meet on a spring day to walk
along the wall that separates their properties and repair it where needed. The speaker in the
poem is a progressive individual who starts to question the need for such a wall in the first
place. The neighbour beyond the hill is a traditionalist and has, it seems, no time for such
thoughts. According to him, “Good fences make good neighbours”. We all have neighbours,
we all know that walls eventually need repairing. Walls separate and keep people apart; walls
deny the right of passage and yet provide security. Despite the need for such a barrier, the
opening line - Something there is that doesn't love a wall, - implies that the idea of a wall isn't
that straightforward.
The central theme of the poem is the futility of building walls. Walls are a medium that
separates humans from other humans. Such walls have turned the inside of humans as blank
and devoid of feelings for others. In the opening stanza the poet states that there is something
in Nature “that doesn’t love a wall”. The poet doesn’t directly say what that something is . it
might be God or some power in Nature. Something makes the ground under the wall freeze,
causing the upper boulders (large rocks) fall off. Nature also makes gaps in the wall although
“No one has seen them made or heard them made”. The hunters also damage walls. Thus the
poet establishes the view that nature works against walls, while man tries to mend (repair) them.
Ultimately, the presence of the wall between the properties does ensure a quality relationship
between the two neighbours. By maintaining the division between the properties, the narrator
and his neighbour are able to maintain their individuality and personal identity as farmers: one
of apple trees, and one of pine trees. Moreover, the annual act of mending the wall also provides
an opportunity for the two men to interact and communicate with each other, an event that
might not otherwise occur in an isolated rural environment. The act of meeting to repair the
wall allows the two men to develop their relationship and the overall community feeling.
Towards the end of the poem the poet repeats his own thought, “Something there is that doesn’t
love a wall’’. This is the wisdom with which the poem concludes. It states the poet’s essential
philosophy of life. It highlights the view that Nature does not any want any barriers to exist
between humans, between classes, races and nations. The poet effectively exposes the futility
of building walls. It is not the physical strain of mending the wall that Frost emphasizes most.
He briefly expresses a philosophy of life which encourages humans to understand the spirit of
Nature which is one of unity and mutual understanding. Thus, the poem ends in wisdom and
the recognition of universal truth and universal values.
