Reaction Paper: “The Road Not Taken”

Choices are the simultaneous blessing and curse of life, the source of both enormous joy and immense regret.  They are the forces that direct time during the journey from present to future.  A poem by Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken,” is a contemplative look at the various perspectives surrounding these choices and consequences that result from the decision.  It is four stanzas of five lines each and it follows a strict form, utilizing an ABAAB rhyme scheme.  The meter is eight syllables to a line, in a stretched variety of iambic tetrameter.  However, the lyrical flow of the poem disguises this precise structure.  Because Frost extends his thoughts and phrases from line to line it creates a very relaxed feel when it is read.

In the poem, a traveler is reflecting on a recent decision that he has made as well as looking ahead in anticipation of his future reminiscences about the event.  He was faced with a choice between two apparently identical paths, neither of which had been used that day, and required to choose one while telling himself that he could always come back to the other.  Still, he does not expect to return, instead he contemplates how this decision will look, “…ages and ages hence…” and decides that he will remember his choice as taking the road less traveled.

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;

This stanza brings about familiar emotions through evocative imagery and a relatable situation.  Frost’s choice to use the adjective “yellow” has a unique effect.  The color yellow is usually associated with cheerfulness or optimism; however, when used to describe the wood, it takes on a sickly feel.  The image described by the poem immediately becomes jaundiced, and a sense of distaste is detected in the traveler.

As I read this stanza, the familiarity of the situation immediately strikes me.  Being faced with two paths and equipped only with the knowledge that I could only choose one is frustrating.  The traveler’s pause to analyze the situation is completely understandable; I also try to “look ahead” whenever faced with a choice.  However, the disappearance of the path as it winds into the undergrowth often happens much too soon.  This image creates an unintentional allusion for me; I am reminded of Christian’s journey in Pilgrim’s Progress and of how he was often faced with an uncertain path.

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,

Here, the crux of the decision’s difficulty is presented.  Neither path has any particular characteristics or qualities that would lend themselves to choosing one way or another.  They looked equally “fair” and the only distinction is that the second path seems to have slightly less wear from travelers.  This slight difference is emphasized as even more inconsequential by the fact that, when the speaker takes the path, it is then equally worn.

Again, this stanza presents a difficulty that I find relatable, being presented with a decision but feeling at a loss because of a lack of information.  Sometimes life comes to a fork, and a decision must be made.  Without knowing either the lasting benefits or consequences of either choice, the only recourse available is to look for signs of people who have gone before.  Sometimes, this results in a “grasping at straws” and placing more significance on minor details than they actually deserve.

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.

Unfortunately for the traveler, neither of the paths had any evidence of previous passage.  As in the last stanza, he was looking for any information that he could use to aid his decision or suggest a companion in his journey.  However, he made his choice, picking the second path, but telling himself that he could always return for the other path at some other time.  Yet, despite this alternative, he remorsefully admits to himself his uncertainty that it would ever occur.

Finding people who have had similar experiences to oneself is a comfort, especially if they can advise you about upcoming choices.  I know that the bond of similar experience can spark an immediate relationship.  The concept of “keeping options open” is another characteristic of this poem that I can relate to.  The idea that a choice being made does not have permanent consequences takes a load off my mind.  However, this relief is often a false sense of comfort because, as the speaker goes on to say, “…way leads on to way…” and this is all to true.  Life moves in one direction, and any attempt to return to a previous choice is much like trying to flatten a crumpled piece of paper, it will never quite be the same as it was.

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.

Finally having chosen a road to take, the traveler begins to contemplate the future effects of his decision.  He recognizes that he will look back with a sigh, whether of regret over the decision or of yearning for the time of decision again depends on the difference that the choice makes, and attribute the results of his choice to the fact that he chose the road “…less traveled by…” despite the fact that the paths were essentially identical.

With this conclusion, I draw two separate lessons from the poem.  The first is applicable if the choice that was made truly had equivalent options.  Here, the speaker cynically assumes that he will regret his decision and will have to infuse a measure of heroism, taking the road less traveled, to reconcile his decision.  I see this as a warning not to be caught debating the menial decisions in life and worrying about future results that may not even occur.  The second relates to a decision that truly results in a dramatic variation in outcome.  In these cases, the poem can still serve as a warning.  Knowing that there is a possibility for a negative consequence, the choice should be surrendered to One who knows where each of the paths leads.  To avoid the regret of a hasty decision leading to unintended outcomes, the burden of the decision should be cast by faith upon the Lord who knows the best path in every situation.

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