Jose Zuniga
ENGL 1302
Professor Holschuch
March 30, 2015
Cold Shoulder
Robert Frost, an appropriate name for the writer of the poem Mending Wall. Frost’s poem
addresses multiple emotional barriers he faced that more and more people are facing today.
There are multiple metaphors of isolation that Frost expresses through the mending wall itself.
Physical aspects that explain his emotional distress. But what is a mending wall? It’s a stone wall
used to represent boundaries between properties. Every winter the walls would break down and
every spring neighbors would rebuild the walls stone by stone. With this as his chosen metaphor
Robert Frost expresses the loneliness and self-destructive nature of isolating ourselves this way.
The clearest point that Frost makes is how he dreaded the separation; the social
boundaries that came with the wall were more than he wanted to bear but because that was what
was right at the time he was forced to continue this tradition. In his poem Frost questions the
saying “good fences make good neighbors” (Frost Line 27). What Frost is truly trying to express
is that the walls separate the people because that is what is politically acceptable but he longs for
a human connection with those around him. “…the poet moves back through time, beyond his
own earlier questioning of the possible reasons for continuing the annual repair of those now
apparently useless boundaries…” (Montiero).The wall stands proudly as a reminder that he is so
close to people but he is not allowed to interact for the same reason, “good fences make good
neighbors” (Frost 28). This saying goes far beyond privacy and states subtly that those around
him want nothing to do with any of Frost’s business and in return expect him to stay out of
theirs. So although he feels isolated and alone amongst his peers he must cope with these urges
for a human connection because at the time that is what was right and proper (Montiero). He also
mentions, however, that he is not the only one that feels the old values are outdated.
In line 30 Frost proclaims “Why do good fences make good neighbors?” He expresses his
questioning of the tradition that so many can no longer bear. He believes that all the practicality
of the fence such as containing cows and what not is no longer in play. They’re not using these
fences for their practical use so why use them at all? Mentioning the fact that the walls no longer
serve any actual practical use strengthen his point that there is no reason why good fences would
make good neighbors. They’re simply separating themselves because that is what they have been
taught to do. They no not why and they don’t even enjoy the practice. It may divide properties
but it also divides them as a people. He uses the plants as an example referring to himself as an
apple orchard and his neighbor as a pine forest. Two different worlds that are never to collide.
He is using this to further point out that just because there are two different types of trees does
not mean they cannot grow on the same land (Montiero). Frost questions the practice and his
fellow man for he sees no reason to rebuild the walls year after year. As far as he is concerned
there is no reason for them to be built in the first place. Ideally Frost says he would want
neighbors to question each-other before-hand about the purpose the wall would serve. For were it
not to keep in animals then why must they divide up the land in such a way as to divide their
families. The practice of mending the walls year after year is one of times long past and it is time
for change. Taking down the walls is the first step to taking down the unnecessary and perhaps
even antisocial barriers people have set for themselves. If they are allowed to explore past the
wall perhaps exploration outside of their comfort zones would follow. People would learn how to
better interact with one another. They could create new bonds that would not weaken their
constitution not weaken their morals. As times change so must the people; that doesn’t mean that
they should no longer be respectful to their neighbors. It simply means that interaction should not
be feared. Just because they haven’t interacted before doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t; in fact
putting this much effort into separation has become counterproductive at this point.
Finally Frost also mentioned as they mended the walls is, “our hands are worn rough with
handling them” (Frost 20) referring to the stones they use to rebuild the walls. What is really
meant is that creating these social barriers (or the walls) harms us (the wearing of the hands). We
hurt ourselves by creating this isolation sometimes to the point where it is unbearable. Our
“hands” can be beaten and bleeding but all the same we construct this wall because we are told it
is what we must do. We do not enjoy it and at times it is incredibly painful to isolate ourselves in
this manner. This may refer to social anxiety or simply not being allowed to make contact with
others. Whatever the meaning the point is that for some reason or another we feel forced to
separate ourselves from one another causing pain not only to those around us but to ourselves.
Frost notices that he is not the only one longing for something more.
All and all Frost is able to take a simple tradition and turn it into a metaphor for one of
the biggest emotional conflicts of the era. He finds a way to subtly talk about what everybody is
feeling; speak his mind about these useless divisions people put up between each other when
they know they want to interact with everyone and everyone wants to interact back. Addressing
these issues in the casual manner with which he does allows society to move forward and evolve
without the fear of persecution by their fellow man. I love this poem, it tells my inner thoughts
down to a letter.
Works Cited
Frost, Robert. "Mending Wall." Mending Wall. Boston, 1914.
Montiero, George. "On Mending Wall." 1974. www.english.illinois.edu. 1 April 2015.