Imagery and choice in Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

Imagery in Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken"

Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" depicts the poet in the woods, wandering. Suddenly, he comes across a fork in the road. The woods are yellow, which suggests that it is autumn, or in the autumn of the poet's life. He is facing a middle-age crisis, and is selecting the path that will lead him down a particular, specific path and direction for the rest of his life.

The poet can only take on of the paths before him, one of which is worn, the other less so, as it is grassy and "wants wear." He takes the less worn path, and this, he says at the end of the poem, has made all of the difference. The poem seems to be a metaphor for the poet's decision to reject conventional ways of living life. However, when the poet first comes upon the roads, it seems as if "the passing there / Had worn them really about the same," in other words, he is not certain at the time which path is less well worn. He also looks down both paths at first, indicating his hesitation about which is the right way to turn.

This shows that the speaker does not consciously choose individualism on a whim, and without a great deal of consideration and doubt. In fact, he is "sorry I could not travel both" paths, and resolves to go back, perhaps, and try the other path at a later date, even though he knows deep in his heart this is unlikely, because "way leads on to way," in other words, one path leads to another.