Analysis of the Different Interpretationof“Mending Wall”

Abstract： Like many of Robert Frost’s poems， “mending wall”has received significant attention from critics who refuse to agree with one another regarding its/ interpretation and meaning. After reading“Mending Wall”， common readers will naturally draw the conclusion that the wall， symbolizing convention-the habitual way of people's mind and behavior， hinders communication among people. And they believe that Frost wants to indicate in his poem that there is no need to build a wall between neighbors， and people are supposed to transcend their conventional restraints and tear down the wall in between. However， many others， represented by Chang Yaoxin， professor of Nankai University， holds totally contradictory view that the poem “Mending Wall” actually hints that the neighbor is the wiser because his experience has taught him the paradox of life and human nature： distance makes for closer relationships. Thus the wall between neighbors is indispensable， which avoids the possible troubles and misunderstandings. By exploring the symbol and images applied in “Mending Wall” as well as the social environment in which the poem was written， I take side with the latter point view： Mending wall is a wise act.

Key words： Mending Wall Paradox symbol image

Ⅰ.Introduction

Robert Frost was the most popular American poet of the twentieth century. His poetry focuses on the landscape and people in New England. One unique characteristic of Robert Frost is that his poetry is a special combination of the traditional verse and a clear American local speech rhythm. However， the most attractive aspect of his poetry is his deceptively simple language. That is to say， in his poetry， profound ideas are conveyed under the disguise of the plain language and simple form.

In “Mending Wall”， Robert Frost depicts a commonplace occurrence that a wall separating a farmer's land from his neighbor's has crumbled down and awaits repairs. Such is a scene typical in Robert Frost's poems， which always take on an easy-understood appearance and is imbued with profound significance. It would be a mistake to imagine that Frost is easy to understand because he is easy to read.(Elliott，1988， P944). Frost reminds us that poems， like love， begin in surprise， delight， and tears， and end in wisdom. So we may mend a stone wall， pick up apples， watch a spider， and mow the lawn in his poems， we also acquire enlightenment and inspiration towards life. On the surface level， the poem seems to indicate that mending wall is of no use， and it is just a waste of time and energy； but on the deep level， the poem tells us the wisdom of life： distance makes for closer relationships.

Ⅱ.The speaker's ambivalent attitude toward mending wall

Most of readers often easily draw the conclusion that the purpose of the poem is to tell people that the wall-the barrier of communication is of no use because

There where it is we do not need the wall：

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.

(Frost，23-26)

The above four lines clearly express the speaker's attitude toward mending wall： there is no need to build a wall.

But the point is that what they get is the surface meaning of the poem. It only manifest that the speaker begins to doubts the necessity of a wall because building a new wall is not an easy job. Both the speaker and his neighbor wear their fingers rough with handling the heavy and large boulders. That's why the speaker wants to give up mending wall and tries to persuade his neighbor from keeping a wall there.

In fact， the speaker is not determined with his own conviction and sways from side to side. Because very soon， the speaker's voice shifts， and he declares that he enjoys， at the same time， the activity by regarding it as another kind of outdoor game. Therefore， to say that the poet is against mending wall is not accurate. At least， here we can see that the speaker's attitude toward mending wall is ambivalent.

Ⅲ.The speaker's unconsciously approval of mending wall and the old proverb

It is the speaker who first finds the crumbling wall：

No one has seen them made or heard them made，

But at spring mending-time we find them there，

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.

(Frost，10-14)

As soon as the speaker finds the toppling wall， he lets the neighbor know beyond the hill and prepare to mend the wall. To the speaker， erecting a wall is a natural response to the crumbling of the wall. It is out of instinct that the speaker acknowledges the neighbor to repair the wall together. The speaker is unconscious that he is taking side with the traditional proverb： good fences make good neighbor.

The wall standing between the lands of two families has become a tradition， passed on from one generation to another. The spring mending time each year is a regular activity of farmers in New England， revealing that the proverb， as the overt intelligence gathering， has been generally accepted by people. Without the wall good neighbors might fall out with each other. Under the harbor of those physically existing walls， people develop a sense of security and safety. With the building of the visible wall， the invisible wall in people's heart gradually disappears and people become spiritually close， though physically， alienate.

The neighbor's repetition of “good fences make good neighbors” manifests that he firmly treats this old saying， inherited from ancestors， as an unquestionable universal truth. When the speaker tries to put a notion in his head， his mere utterance is the proverb. His response is short but robust， full of conviction and persuasion， because his experience has taught him the paradox of life and human nature： distance makes for closer relationships. The poem also ends with it， implying the poet's attitude towards mending wall.

Ⅳ.The image of “something”

According to the Explicator for May， 1943， Frost said， “Poetry is implication. Let implication be implication. Don't try to turn it into explication.” One of the most interesting methods used to create his special blend of fact and implication is Frost's use of the indefinite pronoun “something”. In short lyrics， “something” may be a key to the poet's intention. It refers to the tangible or to the intangible； more often it refers to both.(Mcgiffert，1945，P.469)

The poem begins with the line “Something there is that doesn't love a wall”. Later， he emphasizes this image by repeating the same line. Without pointing out what kind of thing this “something” is， Frost leaves a spacious room for the readers to exert the imagination to the utmost. It is something unknown to us， something mysterious to all of us.

Some readers argue that the first line of the poem clearly show the poet's negative attitude to the wall. It does sounds a little reasonable， but that's only the surface meaning of the line. Don't forget that Frost's writing style-deceptive simplicity.

We should see the implied meaning through the surface meaning. At the concrete level， “something” is the winter ground swell that “spills the upper boulders in the sun”， which stands for physical obstacle to human civilization. At the abstract level， it may be “elves”， who mischievously destroy the wall treated as a sensible check to irresponsible action.

There are many other examples of the poet's use of the indefinite pronoun in lots of other poems such as “ The Cow in Apple Time”， “ The Death of the Hired Man”， most of them dealing with physical and mental obstacles to human progress or understanding. Both “the winter ground swell” and “elves” contribute to the crumbling of the wall. With collapse of the visible wall， people begin to set up the invisible wall in their heart which become the barrier to the establishment of the friendly neighborhood.

Ⅴ.Conclusion

Frost was temperamentally a poet of meditative sobriety. The truth he sought were innate in heart of humanity and in common objects (Perkins，2002，P847). Though plain and simple in form and language， Frost's poetry conveys profound ideas. That's why so many readers are easy to catch the surface meaning of his poetry ，but hard to gain the ulterior meaning in it.

In “Mending Wall”， Frost depicts the speaker's unwillingness to mend the wall in the surface meaning. However， the poem hints that the neighbor is the wiser because his experience has taught him the paradox of life and human nature.

Ordinary readers have the tendency to believe that the poem is going to show that modern people alienate one from another by installing walls in between. Actually， it is problems of society such as unfairness， corruption， gap between the rich and the poor， instead of the wall， that contribute to the alienation among modern people. Even if the physically existing walls toppled， those more serious social problems would force people to build up the spiritual walls in the heart of humans so as to protect them from harm of the outside world.

In fact， the issue whether or not to mend the wall is left there unsolved. The real purpose of the poem is not to provide a solution to the human problem. The great significance of Frost's poem lies in its awareness and exposition of human problem. The answer is left for readers to contemplate our daily life.

(作者单位：四川成都理工大学工程技术学院)