Exploring Human Dilemma in Robert Frost's 'The Road Not Taken'

This essay undertakes a detailed analysis of Robert Frost's renowned poem, 'The Road Not Taken,' exploring its multifaceted themes and literary significance. It begins by establishing Frost's literary career and then delves into the central theme of the dilemma inherent in decision-making, as depicted through the metaphor of a traveler at a crossroads. The essay examines the poem's portrayal of the human tendency to seek the easiest path and relates these themes to the transitional societal context of the 20th century. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the poem's exploration of human psychology, particularly the conflicts individuals face when making life-altering choices. The essay concludes by emphasizing the poem's enduring relevance as a reflection of the psychological complexities and dilemmas of the modern era, solidifying its place within both Frost's oeuvre and the broader landscape of 20th-century American poetry.

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(Introduction) “The Road Not Taken” published in 1916 is one of the most widely
read of Frost’s poems even in the 21st century (Francis 96). More importantly, the poem
although written in the early part of his illustrious and long literary career highlights the
important themes which was to dominate his latter literary works. A casual reading of the
poem reveals the indecision of a traveler who is confronted with the burden of selecting a
road, out of the two roads which are before him. More importantly, the poem is often seen to
be articulating the voice of the American people regarding the dilemma that they faced in the
transitional society of 20th century America.
(Essay Outline) The essay begins by highlighting the literary career of Robert Frost,
the author of the poem “The Road Not Taken”. The essay next sheds light on the theme of
dilemma regarding the making of decisions as outlined in the poem under discussion here.
The theme of “selecting the easiest way out” is also discussed in the particular context of the
poem. The essay next tries to relate the poem in the context of the tendencies of the age in
which Frost wrote. Finally, the essay concludes by shedding light on the theme of human
psychology regarding the decisions that they make. (Thesis) A deeper analysis of the poem
reveals the fact that the poem is redolent with various important themes like archetypal
dilemma, the burden of making a choice, the conflicts that an individual face in making
choices and others by showing the dilemma faced by the traveler regarding the choice that he
needed to make.
(Background of the author) Robert Frost (1874 –1963) is widely considered as one
of the most important poets of the 20th century because of the plethora of poetical works
which he composed during his life time (Francis 21). Although widely known for his
naturalistic style and themes of poems yet at the same time a closer analysis of his poems
reveals a plethora of literary techniques like modernism, expressionism and others (Francis

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31). More importantly, he is often credited for heralding the new era in the landscape of the
American poetry not only by virtue of the poetic style that he used but also through the
themes which found expression in his works. In this regard, some of the most important
poems that cemented his legacy and greatness within the cannon of American poetry are “My
Butterfly. An Elegy” (1894), “The Road Not Taken” (1916), “The Lesson for Today” (1942)
and others (Francis 29). Furthermore, he is one of the very few literary personalities who had
the honor to receive the prestigious Pulitzer Prize four times. This essay will undertake an
analysis of his famous poem “The Road Not Taken”.
(Argument 1) As opined by Francis (109), one of the most important themes of the
poem “The Road Not Taken” is the dilemma that the people normally face while making
important decisions that can alter the course of their life in a substantial manner. The poet
in this regard takes the help of the metaphor of a traveler and the decision that the traveler
needs regarding the choice of road that he or she needs to take to denote the conflict that the
human beings face while making decisions. The biographer of Frost, Lawrance Thompson
claims, the traveler in the poem is “one who habitually wastes energy in regretting any choice
made: belatedly but wistfully he sighs over the attractive alternative rejected” (Francis 112).
The traveler in the poem depicts the dilemma that every individual faces regarding the
decisions that they need to make in their lives. For example, the narrator claims, “Two roads
diverged in a yellow wood,/ And sorry I could not travel both” (Frost 1232). It is pertinent to
note that just like the traveler in the poem every human being has the craving to make use of
all the opportunities or choices that are at their disposal irrespective of the situation. The
normal practice of individuals to research as far as possible regarding the choice that they are
about to make becomes evident in the action of the traveler wherein he says, “And be one
traveler, long I stood/ And looked down one as far as I could” (Frost 1232). (Transitional

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Sentence) This is clearly related to tendency of the human beings to opt for the easiest way
out in their lives.
(Argument 2) Frost’s poem reflects the tendency of the individuals to opt for the
easiest or the safest choice or option that is available to them through the decision of the
traveler to opt for the road which appears to be more comfortable (Francis 114). The narrator
or the traveler in the poem opts for the road which was “just as fair,/ And having perhaps the
better claim,/Because it was grassy and wanted wear” (Frost 1232). This certainly points
towards the habit of the human beings of choosing the options which are more suitable as
well as easy to follow. More importantly, the narrator just like the human beings opts for the
road on which he is likely to face little hardships or have to undergo limited amount of
struggle in order to reach the destination. However, at the same time, it needs to be
mentioned that the narrator just like the human beings had the expectation that maybe
someday he would be able to return to the same crossroad and follow the road which he has
rejected for the better. This gets reflected in his words “I kept the first for another day!”
(Frost 1232). However, reality soon sets in and he realizes the fact that life is no fairly tale
and also the fact that he has made the choice he would have to bear the consequences of it.
This realization of the narrator finds representation in the words “knowing how way leads on
to way,/ I doubted if I should ever come back” (Frost 1233). As stated by Francis (118), the
narrator of the poem under discussion is articulating the dilemma that the human beings
commonly face during the time of making choices that could alter the course of their lives in
a substantial. (Transitional Sentence) This theme outlined by the poem can be related to the
tendencies of the age in which Frost lived.
(Argument 3) According to Francis (121), the society of the 20th century was a
transitional one and because of a plethora of factors the traditional beliefs of the individuals

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were shaken in a substantial manner. For example, the Roman Catholic Church since the
traditional times propounded the viewpoint that the human beings were the creation of God.
However, Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” (1859) by showing the fact that the human
beings have evolved from the apes shook this belief of the individuals (Francis 122). This
gets reflected in the poem “Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse” of Matthew Arnold wherein
he says, that the people of that age were “Wandering between two worlds, one dead, / The
other powerless to be born” (439). This is the same dilemma that the narrator in the poem
under discussion here faces while standing at the crossroad. In this regard, it can be said that
the two roads had symbolical meaning and thereby reflected two ways of life. For example,
the road which the narrator leaves behind can be seen as the cultural traditional, beliefs and
other aspects of the past ages to take the second road which reflects the various facets of the
modern society. This gets reflected in the claim of the poet that “I shall be telling this with a
sigh/ Somewhere ages and ages hence…And that has made all the difference” (Frost 1233).
(Transitional Sentence) This interpretation of the poem has gained a substantial amount of
prominence within the contemporary literary traditions by virtue of its correlation with the
human psychology of the age in which Frost wrote.
(Argument 3) As opined by Francis (129), the poem can be seen as an exploration
of the psychology of the people of the 20th century and also as a reflection of the dilemmas
that galore the human beings. For example, the narrator is confused as regards the road which
he needs to take and the one that he should leave behind. This is one of the most common
psychological dilemmas that the human beings often face regarding the decisions or the
choices that they need to make in their lives. The simple act of choosing the road which
appears to be more comfortable has deeper psychological connotation. For example, this can
be seen as a reflection of the common psychology of the human beings to avoid hardships

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and opt for the easy way out. Thus, it can be said that contrary to the commonly held opinion
regarding the poem “The Road Not Taken”, it is actually a deep analysis of the psychological
conflicts that the human beings face in the contemporary times.
To conclude, Robert Frost is not only an important 20th century American poet but of
the entire World Literature itself. The best aspect about the various poetical works of Frost is
the fact that under the façade of naturalism he sheds valuable insight as well as light on the
issues and dilemmas that the people of the 20th century faced. In this regard, his poem “The
Road Not Taken” is an important one since it reflects some of the major conflicts as well as
the dilemmas that the people in that age faced. For example, the poem in a succinct manner
shows the psychological dilemma that the people faced regarding the making of choices that
were to determine the course of their life. In addition to this, the poem at the same time
highlights the conflicts as well as the problems that the people of that age faced because of
the changing or the transitional nature of the 20th century American society. Thus, it would be
apt to say that the poem is an important one not only within the spectrum of poems written by
Frost but also of the entire 20th century American poetry itself.

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Bibliography List
Arnold, Matthew. "Stanzas From The Grande Chartreuse." Fraser's magazine 51.304 (1855):
437-440.
Francis, Lesley Lee. Robert Frost: an adventure in poetry, 1900-1918. Routledge, 2017.
Frost, Robert. The road not taken. Shamrock Press, 1916.