MENDING WALL

By Team Pushpa
About the
Author
◦Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 –
January 29, 1963) was an American poet.
Known for his realistic depictions of rural life
and his command of American colloquial
speech;
Frost frequently wrote about settings from
rural life in New England in the early 20th
century, using them to examine complex
social and philosophical themes. Frost is the
only poet to receive four Pulitzer Prizes for
Poetry.
INTRODUCTION
◦ Robert Frost’s Mending Wall, published in his 1914 collection
North of Boston, is a contemplative poem that uses the
annual ritual of repairing a wall between two neighbours as a
metaphor to explore deeper issues of boundaries, tradition,
and human relationships. Through a simple narrative, Frost
delves into complex themes, questioning the necessity of
barriers that separate individuals, both physically and
emotionally. The speaker in the poem reflects on whether the
wall is truly needed, especially as nature itself seems intent
on tearing it down. Yet, his neighbour insists on upholding it,
reinforcing the adage, “Good fences make good neighbours.”
This tension between tradition and openness invites readers
to consider the role of boundaries in society and the forces
that drive us to either connect or isolate ourselves. Frost’s
conversational tone and rural setting ground the poem in
realism while opening it up to philosophical inquiry, making
Mending Wall one of his most thought-provoking works.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS OF THE
POEM
LINES 1-4 :
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen ground swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass
abreast.
In these lines, the poet speculates that
there must be something in the vicinity that
breaks down the wall repeatedly. Perhaps
the water beneath the ground is frozen, and
the resulting ice expands to cause cracks in
the wall and make the boulders at its top fall
down. The crack then grows until it is so
wide that two people can pass through it
side by side and walk in the same direction.
LINE 5-11 :
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a
stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them
made,
But at spring mending-time we find them
there.
In these lines, the poet rejects the idea that
the wall could have been broken by hunters.
He himself has made repairs after hunters
have rearranged the stones to allow rabbits
to come out of their holes for their dogs to
catch. However, the gaps that have now
appeared on the wall have been made by
something unseen and unheard.
LINE 12-15 :
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
In these lines, the poet says the wall is
between two lands separated by a hill. The
farmer on the other side of the hill is informed
about the hole. A day is fixed on which they
both meet and walk along the wall, each on
his side surveying the damage.
LINES 16-19:
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are
turned!’
In these lines, the poet says that he and his
neighbour both take it upon themselves to restore
the boulders that have fallen on his side of the hill.
However, this is difficult since the stones are not
always the same size or shape. Some are oblong,
and some are round, and only magic can hold them
in their places.
LINES 20-24:
We wear our fingers rough with handling
them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on aside. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the
wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
In these lines, the poet says that his hands, as
well as his neighbour’s hands, become
calloused as a result of picking up the heavy
boulders. It feels like they are playing a game
where only one opponent is on each team. It
seems like play rather than work because the
wall is unnecessary since the two farmers
grow different plants. The poet grows apples,
and his neighbour grows pine trees.
Lines 25 – 29:
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good
neighbors’.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
In these lines, the poet says that he has tried to
tell his neighbour that his apple trees will never
encroach upon his pines but that the neighbour
remains unconvinced. His logic in putting up
the wall is that strong fences separate all good
neighbours. However, in the springtime, the
poet feels mischievous and tries to convince his
neighbour to agree with him in another way.
Lines 30 – 35:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.’
In these lines, the poet asks his neighbour why good fences
make good neighbors. Fences often sprout some greenery on
them, and they attract cows. But there are no cows where the
wall between their farms has broken. The poet would like to
know what he is keeping out and what he is protecting by
building the wall, but he might also not take kindly to the idea of
the wall being put up.
Lines 36 – 41:
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
In these lines, the poet again speculates that elves could have
pulled down the wall. But he doesn’t want to tell his serious
neighbour that, hoping instead that the neighbour would come
to the same conclusion by himself. As the neighbour works on
rebuilding the wall, the poet feels that he resembles an uncouth
and uncivilized inhabitant of the Stone Age, whose weapons are
the very rocks that make up the wall.
Lines 42 – 46:
He moves in darkness as it seems to me –
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
In these lines, the poet suggests that his neighbour has some
kind of kinship with darkness, not just the darkness caused by
the shade of trees in the forest. The neighbour cannot disagree
with his father in saying that good fences account for peace
among neighbors.
LITERARY DEVICES
1. Free Verse:
The Poem is written is free verse i.e; The poem does not follow a rhyme scheme

2. Imagery:
The poet uses Imagery throughout the poem; Frost uses vivid imagery to describe the setting,
such as “frozen-ground-swell” and “loaves and balls,” helping readers visualise the wall and the
act of mending it. This imagery emphasises the labour involved in maintaining boundaries.

3. Metaphor:
The wall is a central metaphor, symbolising boundaries in human relationships and society. Its
yearly repair ritual represents the persistence of these boundaries despite natural forces that
erode them.

4. Irony:
There is irony in the fact that the speaker questions the need for the wall, but still participates
in its mending. This tension between belief and action highlights human contradictions and the
complexity of tradition.

5. Personification:
Nature is personified as actively resisting the wall, with lines like “Something there is that
doesn’t love a wall.” Frost gives nature a kind of will as if it seeks to unite people by breaking
down artificial barriers.

6. Repetition:
The phrase “Good fences make good neighbors” is repeated, emphasizing the neighbor’s
insistence on tradition and underscoring the theme of boundaries.

7. Symbolism:
The phrase “Good fences make good neighbors” is repeated, emphasizing the neighbor’s
insistence on tradition and underscoring the theme of boundaries.

8. Allusion:
There is a subtle allusion to tradition and history in the repeated line, as it echoes ancient
proverbs about boundaries and respect, linking the neighbor’s insistence on the wall to long-
standing beliefs.
Themes:

THE COMPLEXITY OF NATURE VS. HUMAN ISOLATION AND

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS. ORDER COMMUNITY
◦ The title Mending Wall is significant as it
encapsulates the literal and metaphorical
layers. On a literal level, "mending" refers to
the annual act of repairing the physical wall SIGNIFICANC
that separates the properties of the speaker
and his neighbour. This task brings them E OF THE
together, yet ironically, the very purpose of the TITLE
wall is to keep them apart. Metaphorically,
"mending" suggests attempts to restore or
uphold boundaries in human relationships. The
act of "mending" implies care and maintenance,
highlighting how people may consciously or
unconsciously sustain barriers with others,
whether emotional, social, or cultural. The title
invites readers to reflect on the purpose of such
divisions, questioning whether they are
necessary protections or limitations that hinder
CHARACTERS IN THE POEM
In Mending Wall, Robert Frost presents two contrasting characters: the speaker and the neighbor. Their
differing attitudes toward the wall reflect deeper philosophical perspectives.

1. The Speaker: The speaker is curious, introspective, and

open-minded. He questions the need for the wall, viewing it
as unnecessary because neither of them has livestock to
contain. This open attitude reveals his skepticism about
barriers and tradition. He is attuned to nature’s resistance to
the wall and finds humor in the task, which he sees as
somewhat futile. Through his reflective nature, he encourages
readers to question traditions and consider the reasons
behind maintaining or dismantling boundaries.
2. The Neighbor: The neighbor is reserved, practical, and
rooted in tradition. He believes firmly in the adage, “Good
fences make good neighbors,” which he repeats as a mantra,
showing his adherence to convention. Unlike the speaker, he
does not question the wall’s purpose but insists on
maintaining it out of respect for boundaries and personal
space. His character embodies conservatism and the desire to
uphold long-standing values, even if they lack immediate
relevance.
Contemporary Relevance of the
Poem
◦ Robert Frost’s Mending Wall is a very timely poem today, because in the question of what partitions can and
should be overcome in human relations today, it raises truly universal issues. Here are some aspects of its
contemporary relevance:
◦ Boundaries and Divisions in Society: This is because in the current society people create barriers of ideology, culture, and
politics to exclude the opposite party. The poem is focused on the division of people and therefore touches upon the concerns
of our society that divides people by borders, immigrants, and people’s need for security and openness.
◦ Tradition vs. Change: In the society of the twentieth century this conflict of maintaining the traditions and changing applies
to the modern society. Most individuals doubt the purpose of practices that have been in place for many years, wondering if
they are needed or only an added barrier. This is evident in every discourse right from family, morality to civilizing processes.
◦ Isolation and Connection: Although people have never been so interconnected as they are now, they also have never felt so
lonely. Mending Wall also fits into the movie perfectly because it points at how people can come together for a common
purpose of building a wall that separates them all, just like how technology separates people. That’s why the question
mentioned in the poem whether barriers are helpful and save people or not is still topical in a society experiencing remote
connections and work, beyond touching, and isolation.
◦ Environmental Awareness: Even in this, one can discern the theme of the adaptation of the free with regard to the wall:
There is no harmony with the environment. Now there is increased sensibility in using natural resource rather than exploiting it
and because of this reason the poem has elements of modern day environmentalism.
THANK YOU