The woods are lovely dark and deep

 

When I was in the 3rd grade we had to memorize Robert Frost's,  Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. I loved that poem. It always evoked a sense of peace and calm for me. I just thought the words had a beautiful flow to them. I could imagine myself looking at those woods. I could hear the harness bells shaking in the quiet cold. It was all about calm for me. That poem has remained my favorite for all these years.

 

I helped Patrick, Emily, and Sarah memorize it when they were each around 4 years old. How I delighted to hear them recite it perfectly in their child voices. I think they could still do it. I'll have to ask them.

 

I have never been a fan of symbolism in literature. Maybe it's because I don't think that way. A tree is a tree, a horse is a horse, a boy is a boy, and snow is snow to my way of thinking. If you want to tell me something and have me understand it, you have to say what you want me to know. If you shroud it in symbolism, it's not going to register with me. Period. I guess this means I'm simple minded. I've tried to embrace symbolism. It leaves me cold. It's too highbrow for me. The literary snobs would call me daft I suppose. Whatever. I'm a simple gal, with simple tastes.

 

So, in light of what I've just said, imagine my surprise when I recently heard a discussion of my favorite Frost poem. "It's about death and suicide." WHAT???  I have recited this poem hundreds of times, I've heard it recited hundreds of more times, and I've never ever "heard" that. Now, I'm not saying that that's not what Frost was talking about. Maybe that's exactly what he was talking about. I'm just saying that the poem evokes feelings of silence and peace for me. If Frost wanted to paint a dark picture, why didn't he just say what he was thinking? I hope that I can still read this poem and maintain my original interpretation of it. I realize that all art is subject to interpretation and that's a good thing. What bothers me is when someone forces their interpretation on me. If I fail to see or feel a sense of "longing for death" and instead see or feel a cozy feeling of peace and beauty, isn't that okay? Would that make Frost's work wasted on me? I think not.