When “Mending Wall” first appeared in Robert Frost’s second collection, North of Boston, the year was 1914, and the First World War had just begun. The timing of the poem’s publication led many readers to interpret the wall at the heart of the poem as a symbol for the danger of national boundaries. Many interpreters felt that it was precisely these boundaries that had created the divisions that subsequently led to the violence exploding across Europe. Some version of this interpretation remained alive as new conflicts erupted in the decades that followed. For his part, Frost felt this reading flattened the subtler ambiguities of his work, and he was right. Arguably, his poem is much more concerned with the paradoxical ability of borders both to separate and unite. Connected to this theme is another theme related to the difficult labor required to maintain relationships. The specific relationship examined here is that between the speaker and his neighbor, who gather every year to repair the wall between their properties. Though they have different opinions about the purpose of their shared wall, they fail to communicate about it effectively. As a result, the wall remains, reflecting the persistence of the status quo.

Take a Study Break