What an interesting concept! I have never come across this
statement in relation to this poem before. We can easily relate it to "Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening" when we consider the symbolic significance of the woods and the
desire of the speaker to stay there and the way that he is almost mesmerised by them.
This is of course balanced by his feeling of obligation and the need that he has to
"keep" the promises that he has made. Consider the final stanza, which is key in
building up this symbolic meaning:
The woods are lovely, dark, and
deep,
But I have promises to
keep,
And miles to go before I
sleep,
And miles to go before I
sleep.
The attractiveness of
the words is indicated through their description of them as being "lovely, dark, and
deep," clearly indicating the way that the speaker wants to spend more time there and
sees them as something of a release from his life in the world. However, at the same
time, he is aware of his many obligations in the world before he can get to "sleep." The
repeition of the final line indicates that this "sleep" may be more than just a
well-deserved night's sleep after a hard day's work, and may actually represent death or
the relinquishing of responsibilities. There is a balance created therefore between our
need to work and to fulfil our obligations on the one hand, and our desire to find
release from work and responsibilities on the other. The poem suggests that it is right
to stop and enjoy silence and solitude, and we need to do this in order to find the
inner-strength to continue with the responsibilities of life.
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