Reluctance

Reluctance

By Robert Frost

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question ‘Whither?’

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

Summary of Reluctance

• Understanding “Reluctance”: This poem, often misattributed to Robert Frost, presents a bittersweet feeling of returning home after a period of travel and adventure. The speaker finds their homecoming marked by the onset of winter and the death of the natural world, creating a poignant contrast between the vibrant experiences of travel and the quiet stillness of home, eliciting a sense of melancholy and questioning.
• The Central Idea: The poem is not simply about sadness, but a deeper contemplation on acceptance and the natural cycles of life. The speaker struggles with acknowledging the end of something—a journey, a season, perhaps even a love—and resisting the urge to continue seeking, even when reason suggests it’s time to rest.
• Noteworthy Knowledge: No record of a poem titled “Reluctance” exists in Frost’s catalog, and it is not part of the 1912 collection A Boy’s Will. The analysis here treats the work as a hypothetical example of Frost’s style, blending simple observations of nature with profound psychological insight.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Reluctance

Literary devices are the tools writers use to convey meaning and evoke emotion. Frost masterfully employs a range of these in “Reluctance” to create a layered and resonant poem. Let us explore some key examples.

1. Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words adds musicality and emphasis. Notice the repeated short “e” sound in the line, “The leaves are all dead on the ground,” which subtly underscores the sense of decay.
2. Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words creates a pleasing rhythm and highlights certain phrases. For example, the repetition of the “w” sound in “when others are sleeping” draws attention to the quietude of winter.
3. Consonance: Similar to alliteration, consonance involves the repetition of consonant sounds, but anywhere within the words, not just at the beginning. Consider the repeated “th” sound in “No longer blown hither and thither,” which reinforces the sense of stillness and lack of movement.
4. Enjambment: This technique involves continuing a sentence or phrase from one line to the next without punctuation, creating a sense of flow and momentum. The opening lines demonstrate this beautifully: “Out through the fields and the woods / And over the walls I have wended.” The enjambment mirrors the speaker’s journey, carrying the reader forward.
5. Imagery: Frost uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the landscape and evoke emotional responses. “The leaves are all dead on the ground” is a stark visual image that immediately establishes the mood of decline. “Scraping and creeping” offers an auditory and tactile experience, further immersing the reader in the scene.
6. Personification: Giving human qualities to inanimate objects enhances the emotional depth of the poem. The lines, “The leaves…ravel them one by one / And let them go scraping and creeping,” suggest a deliberate action, as if the oak tree is consciously releasing the last vestiges of autumn.
7. Rhetorical Question: The final stanza is punctuated by rhetorical questions – questions not meant to be answered, but to prompt reflection. “Was it ever less than a treason / To go with the drift of things?” This challenges the reader to consider the conflict between resisting change and accepting the inevitable.
8. Symbolism: Several elements in the poem function as symbols. The “fields and the woods” represent a vibrant, active life, while the “dead leaves” symbolize decay, loss, and the passage of time. The journey itself can be seen as a symbol of life’s experiences.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Reluctance

Beyond literary devices, “Reluctance” also showcases several key poetic devices that contribute to its artistic effect.

1. End Rhyme: The poem uses end rhyme in some lines, for example “wended” and “ended,” but otherwise the rhyme is loose. There is no strict rhyme scheme throughout the poem.
2. Rhyme Scheme: Because the rhyme is irregular, the poem does not follow a consistent pattern such as ABCBDB. The occasional rhymes serve to emphasize particular images rather than to maintain a formal structure.
3. Sestet: Each stanza in “Reluctance” is a sestet—a six-line stanza. This structure contributes to the poem’s deliberate and measured pace.
4. Stanza: The three stanzas function as distinct units of thought, each developing a different aspect of the poem’s central theme. The first stanza establishes the speaker’s journey, the second describes the winter landscape, and the third explores the speaker’s internal conflict.

Quotes to be Used

The following lines from “Reluctance” are particularly effective when discussing themes of nature, acceptance, and the passage of time.

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

This opening stanza beautifully encapsulates the speaker’s journey and sets the stage for the poem’s exploration of returning home and facing change. It can be used to introduce discussions about the relationship between travel and self-discovery, or the bittersweet feeling of closure.