Mending Wall Symbolism,

Imagery & Wordplay

Theres more to a poem than meets the
eye.

The Wall/Fences
The wall is the shining star of this poem. It
unites our speaker and his neighbor, but
separates them as well. As we hear the
neighbor speak the proverb twice ("Good
fences make good neighbors"), w...

Nature and Tradition

Nature seems to act as the third wheel in this
poem the silent character swirling around
the speaker and his neighbor. Although he
doesnt explicitly describe the landscape, we
see it...

Read the Poem:

MENDING WALL
By Robert Frost
Or, first you can read Gene's comments about the Poem:
SYMBOLISM!!
If you read what I wrote on the first page, then you know why I love
Frost. The paragraph next to my picture says it. My favorite poems are
the ones on this site. My special favorite is "Mending wall". My 10 acre
piece of property is completely surrounded by a stone wall, six feet thick
in some places! It is built completely of stones picked up from the fields
where someone spent 200 years trying to scratch a living out of this
ground. And I have "mended" parts of it! And I'm not sure what is being
walled in, and what is being walled out!
The best part about "symbolism" in literature is that it can mean many
things to many people. That's the whole point! If the Poet had something
very, very definite to say, he would spell it out in plain English; and it
would then not mean as much to you, because it just wouldn't be a
"picture" painted in your mind. And remember this: Perhaps the Poet
HAD nothing specific to say, and merely wanted you to experience HIS
vision, or memory, or what have you!
The following is a quote written by Louis Untermeyer in the 1940's. It
is found in "The Pocket Book of Robert Frost's Poems", Henry Holt,
1946. It will tell you what some people think Frost meant. And I agree
with some of it. Pay particular attention to the first two sentences of the
last paragraph. Show them to your teacher and ask him/her if it's not
possible to sometimes read a poem for the sheer enjoyment of the mental
picture it conjures up, and not have to analyze it too much.
Untermeyer's comments:
"The strength of 'Mending Wall', one of Frost's most often quoted
poems, rests upon a contradiction. Its two famous lines oppose each other.
The poem maintains that:
" 'Something there is that doesn't love a wall.'
"But it also insists:
" 'Good fences make good neighbours.'
"The contradiction is logical, for the opposing statements are uttered
by two different types of people and both are right. Man cannot live

without walls, boundaries, limits and particularly self-limitations; yet he

resents all bonds and is happy at the downfall of any barrier. In 'Mending
Wall' the boundary line is useless:
" 'There where it is we do not need the wall.'
"And, to emphasize the point, the speaker adds playfully:
" 'He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.'
"Some readers have found far-reaching implications in this poem. They
have found that it states one of the greatest problems of our time: whether
national walls should be made stronger for our protection, or whether
they should be let down, since they cramp our progress toward
understanding and eventual brotherhood. Other readers have read
'Mending Wall' as a symbolic poem. In the voices of the two men the
younger, whimsical, 'new-fashioned' speaker and the old-fashioned farmer
who replies with his one determined sentence, his inherited maxim - some
readers hear the clash of two forces: the spirit of revolt, which challenges
tradition, and the spirit of restraint, which insists that conventions must
be upheld, built up and continually rebuilt, as a matter of principle.
"The poet himself frowns upon such symbolic interpretations. He
denies that the poem says anything more than it seems to say. The
contradiction is the heart of the poem. It answers itself in the paradox of
people, in neighbors and competitors, in the contradictory nature of
man."

"Mending Wall" (1914)

Every year, two neighbors meet to repair
the stone wall that divides their property.
The narrator is skeptical of this tradition,
unable to understand the need for a wall
when there is no livestock to be contained
on the property, only apples and pine

trees. He does not believe that a wall

should exist simply for the sake of
existing. Moreover, he cannot help but
notice that the natural world seems to
dislike the wall as much as he does:
mysterious gaps appear, boulders fall for
no reason. The neighbor, on the other
hand, asserts that the wall is crucial to
maintaining their relationship, asserting,
Good fences make good neighbors. Over
the course of the mending, the narrator
attempts to convince his neighbor
otherwise and accuses him of being oldfashioned for maintaining the tradition so
strictly. No matter what the narrator says,
though, the neighbor stands his ground,
repeating only: Good fences make good
neighbors.
Analysis
This poem is the first work in Frost's
second book of poetry, North of Boston,
which was published upon his return from
England in 1915. While living in England

with his family, Frost was exceptionally

homesick for the farm in New Hampshire
where he had lived with his wife from
1900 to 1909. Despite the eventual failure
of the farm, Frost associated his time in
New Hampshire with a peaceful, rural
sensibility that he instilled in the majority
of his subsequent poems. Mending Wall
is autobiographical on an even more
specific level: a French-Canadian named
Napoleon Guay had been Frosts neighbor
in New Hampshire, and the two had often
walked along their property line and
repaired the wall that separated their land.
Ironically, the most famous line of the
poem (Good fences make good
neighbors) was not invented by Frost
himself, but was rather a phrase that Guay
frequently declared to Frost during their
walks. This particular adage was a popular
colonial proverb in the middle of the 17th
century, but variations of it also appeared
in Norway (There must be a fence
between good neighbors), Germany

(Between neighbors gardens a fence is

good), Japan (Build a fence even
between intimate friends), and even India
(Love your neighbor, but do not throw
down the dividing wall).
In terms of form, Mending Wall is not
structured with stanzas; it is a simple
forty-five lines of first-person narrative.
Frost does maintain iambic stresses, but
he is flexible with the form in order to
maintain the conversational feel of the
poem. He also shies away from any
obvious rhyme patterns and instead relies
upon the occasional internal rhyme and
the use of assonance in certain ending
terms (such as wall, hill, balls,
well).
In the poem itself, Frost creates two
distinct characters who have different
ideas about what exactly makes a person
a good neighbor. The narrator deplores his
neighbors preoccupation with repairing
the wall; he views it as old-fashioned and

even archaic. After all, he quips, his apples

are not going to invade the property of his
neighbors pinecones. Moreover, within a
land of such of such freedom and
discovery, the narrator asks, are such
borders necessary to maintain
relationships between people? Despite the
narrators skeptical view of the wall, the
neighbor maintains his seemingly oldfashioned mentality, responding to each
of the narrators disgruntled questions and
rationalizations with nothing more than
the adage: Good fences make good
neighbors.
As the narrator points out, the very act of
mending the wall seems to be in
opposition to nature. Every year, stones
are dislodged and gaps suddenly appear,
all without explanation. Every year, the
two neighbors fill the gaps and replace the
fallen boulders, only to have parts of the
wall fall over again in the coming months.
It seems as if nature is attempting to
destroy the barriers that man has created

on the land, even as man continues to

repair the barriers, simply out of habit and
tradition.
Ironically, while the narrator seems to
begrudge the annual repairing of the wall,
Frost subtley points out that the narrator
is actually more active than the neighbor.
It is the narrator who selects the day for
mending and informs his neighbor across
the property. Moreover, the narrator
himself walks along the wall at other
points during the year in order to repair
the damage that has been done by local
hunters. Despite his skeptical attitude, it
seems that the narrator is even more tied
to the tradition of wall-mending than his
neighbor. Perhaps his skeptical questions
and quips can then be read as an attempt
to justify his own behavior to himself.
While he chooses to present himself as a
modern man, far beyond old-fashioned
traditions, the narrator is really no
different from his neighbor: he too clings

to the concept of property and division, of

ownership and individuality.
Ultimately, the presence of the wall
between the properties does ensure a
quality relationship between the two
neighbors. By maintaining the division
between the properties, the narrator and
his neighbor 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 far more than if each
maintained their isolation on separate
properties.
Mending Wall, by Robert Frost portrays the

routines of two neighbors who are constantly

mending the fence, or wall, that separates their
properties. If a stone is missing form the fence,
you can bet that the two men are out there
putting it back together piece by piece.
Frost's description of every detail in this poem is
quite interesting, very pleasant to read, and
extremely imaginable. He leaves the reader to
decide for himself what deductions he is to make
from the reading. On one hand, Frost makes
literal implications about what the two men are
doing. For instance, they are physically putting
the stones back, one by one. Their dedication,
commitment, and constant drive shines through
when reading how persistence these men seem
about keeping the wall intact. Quite the contrary
however, is the inferences that something even
deeper is going on. There is a sharing
experience taking place here. Indeed, by
laboring so hard, each man is experiencing

physical repercussions, but they are also using

this time as a "meet and greet" period.
We can gather from the beginning of the poem
that the wall has many forces that keep's it in
shambles. For instance, Frost writes;
"...that sends the frozen ground swell under it
and spills the upper boulders in the sun...", and "I
have come after them(hunters) and made repair
where they have left not one stone on a stone..."
The man and his neighbor don't seem to have
time for anything else, for it sounds as if they are
constantly making repairs. Is there a reason for
this?
It is important to note that not only are these men
completing a manly task, but they are also
"building" some type of relationship. If this were
not an issue, the neighbor would not repeat;
"Good fences make good neighbors."

As the man tells his story, we find that even

though the two men may be conversing and
interacting, there is some distance between them
at all times. The man says;
"...on a day we meet to walk the line and set the
wall between us once again."
It seems to show that even though there is a
need for friendship in each of us, it is equally as
necessary for us to have our own space.
As the poem continues we see that what is
taking place is almost like a game. In fact, he
says;
"Oh, just another kind of outdoor game." And the
narrator continues by saying, "We keep the wall
between us as we go". This is almost like there is
this game of leapfrog taking place!
"He is all pine and I am apple orchard,"
This seems to indicate that each of us are
different. Having different likes, dislikes, etc. One
of the men farms "apples", while the other just
has "pines". Nonetheless, each are special and

both of them contain separate, yet endearing

qualities.
Now let's reflect on Frost's use of the "stone"
itself. What could he have meant by this poem?
"Stay where you are until our backs are turned".
He is speaking to the stones. In other words he
is telling them that if they are going to fall, please
wait until he is not looking. This seems to be an
odd touch to this poem. It almost appears that
the man is so bored at times that he would talk
about or to anything. Maybe the neighbor is not
as much of a talker as one might have imagined.
Maybe the man only has himself and these
inanimate objects to converse with. After all, the
only quote by the neighbor in this poem is;
"Good fences make good neighbors."
In another light however, there is the idea of
separation, or segregation. I have briefly touched
on the idea that the two men are consistently

kept apart by this wall. In addition though, the

author contrasts his "wall" of separation with the
idea of segregation in our world. We are left with
the impression that if two people have
differences, no matter the extent, they are not
considered equals by society.
Finally, there is the recurring idea that the wall
should not be there in the first place.
"Something there is that doesn't love a wall."
This sentence infers that the wall separating we
as a people, needs to come down. It is virtually
impossible for us to build lasting relationships
while we are still possessed with hatred and
discrimination.

The Mending Wall

The Mending Wall, was written by Robert Frost. In this poem, he presents to the readers the idea
barriers. (Essay Analyzing of Mending Wall by Robert Frost) The poem consists of two characters, who ar
separate their property.

The center point in the poem is Something there is that doesn't love a wall. Robert Frost mentione
could be God or nature, which desires to break down the barriers that the humans place between each other.
the damage to the wall as evidenced by the line 2 & 3, That sends the frozen ground swell under it, and spi
wall and find the rabbit that hiding in the wall. (The Mending Wall) The narrator does not love the wall a
done it before him when the place used for range.

Mending wall could improve the neighbors communication and friendship between them. The two
day we meet to walk the line and set the wall between us once again. The wall is important to them. It ma
disputes while they are repairing the wall. The wall gives the neighbors their own privacy. It also gives the t
about when they are repairing on the wall. Every spring time they are rebuilding the wall together. They als

In this poem, the line 24, He is all pine and I am apple orchard, it said the right places that belong
neighbor. The neighbors property is representation of his privacy and the wall acts as a barrier against intru
right places for the apple orchard and a pine plantation. They are owned by the narrator and his neighbor. H

The theme of the poem is about two neighbors who disagree over the need of a wall to separate thei
neighbors' friendship, separating them. (Essay Analyzing of Mending Wall) For the neighbor with the pine
make the people be friendly and closely as he mentions twice in this poem, Good fences make good neigh
intrusion. At lines 36 to 38 I could say 'Elves' to him, but it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather he said it for h
to break down walls. (Mending Wall)

A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects space. The word mending m
point of view of a person on one side of the wall. It told on one side of the wall the readers get a better sens
the readers that his ideas of barriers between people, communication, friendship and the sense of security pe

Bibliography:
Bibliography:
Julie & Laura (n.d.). The Mending Wall. Retrieved December 2,
2005 from New Trier High School, English Department Web site:

http://nths.newtrier.k12.il.us/academi

Comments
+ Add Comment
From parkse - 2005-12-11 7:06 PM

Danis writing is very well organized, and the ideas that she provided are knowledgeable. The evide
going to write. However, there were some errors that I found.

In the third paragraph, she used the word same. This word should have used after the article, the.
time they are rebuilding the wall together. After Every spring time it should have a comma after it.

In the fourth paragraph, she missed a comma between meaning and which. Everything has two sid
long. It would be better if she divide some of her sentences into two or three.

In our society, the walls just like the masks that people wear them everyday. This sentence is in he
The way of some peoples talking different as their thinking. This sentence sounds awkward; its little har
thought is different from what they actually thinking. At the end of this paragraph, she questioned the read

Her fifth paragraph is too short!! She needs more details and example to support it.
For the conclusion, it would be better if she mentioned her main ideas briefly. How about adding some sug
for the run on sentence, and be careful when using a comma. In addition, the bibliography is must in alphab

From karolina - 2005-12-10 2:12 AM

I reread today Dans analysis on (The Mending Wall) her audience is basically anyone who had read the poe
given a possible meaning to each one of them. Your argument seems to go around what is the meaning of th
that something is very good, you give lot examples based in both possible explanations the natural and th

When you explain the natural part of the wall you do a comparison with the human behavior and the mask s
could get along much better and at the same time respect each other property. Like I said your argument is g
go that is not good for the human, but later on you say that the wall will help both neighbors to get along m

defend your analysis will look more academic.

It was a good choice of you to add the definitions of the wall and mending, because this will help the reader
you try to interpret in the best way you could. Your format and grammar was good, I think that the only thin

What is your take on the mending Wall? The

Poem "Mending Wall," by Robert Frost,
presents the reader with the idea of
separation between two neighbors because of
a wall. The wall acts as a barrier between the
two people in a literal and intellectual way.
The term "barrier," is a structure built to bar
passage. Robert frost uses many literary
devices which cause his poem to have deeper
meaning to the idea of separation.
The "Mending Wall" is a title with several
meanings. The first meaning I actually came
across was " to improve poor relations in
politics." After I read the poem a few times, I
thought it had to do with two politicians who

were trying to make repair their position with

each other. After I read it another few times, I
decided it doesn't have to do with politics. It
has to do with the relationship with people.
The term "mending," simply means to make
repairs or to restore something. On line 11,
"But at spring mending-time we find them
there," indicates the protagonist and his
neighbor meet together every spring to
"restore" the wall set between them. On lines
1 to 4, the narrator is describing the condition
of the wall before the two neighbors mend it.
On line 1, "Something there is that doesn't
love a wall," may be describing how "nature"
doesn't love the wall. The word "something"
on line 1 could very well mean nature. The

following words supporting this are "ground,"

"boulder," and the "sun."
In a connotative sense, the word "wall"
throughout the poem, is actually a wall which
blocks out communication. In life, we
sometimes fail to let our guard down, and
ultimately set a wall around us. When this
happens, there is miscommunication and
disagreement between people.
A nature Motif is evident throughout the
poem. Several words which support this are
"ground" (line 2), "boulders" (line 3), "sun"
(line 3), "stone" (line 7), "rabbit" (line 8), and
"hill" (line 12). The nature aspect supports the
Theme of the poem.

The actual month this poem is taking place, is

in the spring. I came to this conclusion
because of line 11, "But at spring mendingtime we find them there." This indicates it is
spring-mending time in the countryside, and
the speaker, and his neighbor, will be getting
together to help mend the wall. These farmers
probably mend the wall every spring because
spring is a warmer month. Spring is also the
rebirth of plants. The plants begin to grow
again during the spring. The two neighbors
friendship may be growing during springtime
as well.
Robert Frost uses Imagery in many ways
throughout his poem. When the narrator of
the story mentions the wall, my imagination

envisions what the wall looks like between the

land. The narrator of the story mentions a
description of boulders by the wall, and the
sun shining down. This was a very creative,
visual touch to the poem which helped me see
where the setting of the story truly is.
The two neighbors may be farmers. This is
supported by line 24, " He is all pine and I am
apple Orchard." The narrator is comparing
his land to his neighbors. I believe the setting
of the poem is somewhere out in the country.
The protagonist says " I let my neighbor know
beyond the hill." When I read the word "hill" I
immediately thought about farmland and
rural areas where there isn't a lot of people or
places. The narrator owns the apple tree

orchard, and the neighbor owns the pine

trees. Pine trees by nature, are a good tool for
shade and security. The neighbor may have
the pine trees to feel safe and secure on his
own land.
Although the pine trees make the neighbor
feel safe, the wall is more important to him.
The wall which so boldly separates the two
neighbors, is a symbol for security. The wall is
a physical barrier from the neighbor and the
outside world. On line 14, "And set the wall
between us once again," the narrator is
talking about the wall which separates the two
neighbors. The term "wall" used in the poem,
means the physical barrier between the two
people. This is denotation. After reading the

"mending wall" several times, I began to

realize what Robert Frost may be trying to
explain. He is using connotation to reveal the
relationship between people. The neighbors
are separated from the "wall" physically, and
emotionally. There is miscommunication
between the two farmers, which will be
explained as this paper continues.
On line 11 "But at spring mending-time we
find them there," I realize the farmers mend
the wall every spring. On line 13 "And on a
day we meet to walk the line," makes me
believe the farmers only meet one day a year
to help mend the wall. The wall could also
have a positive aspect towards the neighbors.
The wall, despite its job as a barrier, can also

provide privacy for the two people. The wall

may also help the neighbors "mend" their
friendship during the spring mending time.
As they build the wall back to its original
state, the farmers may also be building up the
respect and friendship which is important to
them.
The theme of the poem is the barrier's set by
people, cause the lack of communication and
understanding in someone's personal
relationship with someone. Lines 23 to 27 is a
conversation between the narrator and his
neighbor. He doesn't understand why his
neighbor needs the wall. This is a lack of
communication because when the narrator
asks the man why he needs the wall, the

neighbor replies in line 27, "good fences make

good neighbors." His response confuses the
narrator of the story. It separates their beliefs
and communication.
There is a minor conflict between the two
neighbors. The narrator of the story doesn't
really understand why the wall needs to be on
the land, whereas the other neighbor thinks
walls make good neighbors. I believe the
neighbor says this because he appreciates the
privacy and enjoys feeling safe. I also think
when the farmers meet to repair the wall they
reminisce about their lives and become close
during that time period. The wall, is a barrier,
but it brings the two together during the
spring. The reason why "nature" controls the

theme is "nature is what doesn't love a wall"

The wall gets damaged by the weather,
animals, boulders, and many other things
which relate to nature. This indicates nature
may not agree with the wall being on the land.
In the beginning of the poem on line 1,
"something there is that doesn't love a wall," I
had the idea nature is what doesn't love a
wall. As the poem progresses, my
interpretation of the word "something"
changed. I think the narrator of the story is
the true subject who doesn't love the wall.
I believe when Robert Frost wrote "Mending
Wall," he intended on causing the reader to
find the hidden meaning to the story. The
poem is about two neighbors who have

different opinions on the wall which splits

their properties. The physical wall is a barrier
between people. The wall also represents lack
of communication. The wall is a metaphor of
barrier, and the act of building and repairing
the wall is a metaphor for building a
relationship with someone.
I found lines 26 and 26 to be humorous. The
narrator says "My apple trees will never get
across and eat the cones under his pines."
This just shows how frustrated the narrator is
because of the wall. The other neighbor
continues to reply "Good fences make good
neighbors." I believe the way the narrator is
speaking towards the end of the poem

"screams" frustration. The tone in which he

speaks is frustration.
On lines 36 to 38, the narrator is talking
about telling his neighbors about elves. I
think the elves are the symbol for the weather
which has damaged the wall during the year.
On line 40, the narrator describes the
neighbor as " an old- stone savage armed."
This caused me to visualize the neighbor as
being a barbaric person. I believe the
neighbor may be the antagonist of the story.
One line 43, I realize why the neighbor wants
to keep the wall up. "he will not go behind his
fathers saying." This quote makes me believe
the neighbor was raised by his father and was
taught fences are a good source of privacy. I

think the neighbor doesn't want to get rid of

the wall because he may be having an internal
conflict with himself. He may have a secret
desire deep down to get rid of the wall, but he
continually says "good fences make good
neighbors."
In my personal opinion, Robert Frost had
several solid ideas presented in his poem,
"Mending Wall." I enjoyed reading the
descriptive words Frost used. When an author
uses good description in a piece of literature, I
cannot help but be interested. When I
realized this poem is about a conflict between
two neighbors, it made me flashback to a time
in my life, where my parents were in a
miscommunication between my next- door

neighbors. The ironic part about this, is there

was also miscommunication over a fence.
However, with any type of conflict, there is
always a good chance for resolution.
"Mending Wall" by Robert Frost clearly
presents the idea of separation. He uses a
"wall" as the basis for his overall theme of the
story. The wall acts as a barrier and separates
two neighbors. The neighbors emotional
connection with each other is slightly off, and
they have problems communicating
throughout the poem. Robert Frosts use of
literary devices helps the reader understand
the true meaning of the story in a much
deeper intellectual way.

After interpreting this poem, I have grown to

respect poetry as an art form. Before I began
writing this paper of interpretation, I read the
poem several times, and struggled. I thought
"Mending Wall" was very confusing and I
couldn't find any meaning. I then decided to
read each line slowly, and read out loud. I was
reading the poem visually, verbally, and
mentally. I also used a different tone in my
voice each time, and it became clear how the
poem was unfolding. This helped me develop
a strong understanding for the overall story.
The " Mending Wall," Is a good example of
how poetry can have a powerful impact on its
reader. The "Mending Wall" helped me
develop a good understanding of
miscommunication between people. As our

society continues moving foreword, humanity

has become more independent and has
turned their shoulder on their neighbors. This
poem has caused me to control this instinct. I
believe miscommunication is something
which can be resolved, as long as each person
actually brings down the emotional wall
surrounding them.