The Runaway
By Robert Frost
Once when the snow of the year was beginning to fall,
We stopped by a mountain pasture to say, ‘Whose colt?’
A little Morgan had one forefoot on the wall,
The other curled at his breast. He dipped his head
And snorted at us. And then he had to bolt.
We heard the miniature thunder where he fled,
And we saw him, or thought we saw him, dim and grey,
Like a shadow against the curtain of falling flakes.
‘I think the little fellow’s afraid of the snow.
He isn’t winter-broken. It isn’t play
With the little fellow at all. He’s running away.
I doubt if even his mother could tell him, “Sakes,
It’s only weather.” He’d think she didn’t know!
Where is his mother? He can’t be out alone.’
And now he comes again with a clatter of stone
And mounts the wall again with whited eyes
And all his tail that isn’t hair up straight.
He shudders his coat as if to throw off flies.
‘Whoever it is that leaves him out so late,
When other creatures have gone to stall and bin,
Ought to be told to come and take him in.’
Summary of The Runaway
- Popularity of “The Runaway”: “The Runaway” by Robert Frost, an iconic American poet, and author, is a narrative poem.Published in 1923, the poem expresses the poet’s concern after finding a lonely colt on a snowy winter evening. He wonders how this poor animal faces neglect and is made to suffer alone in this harsh weather. The poet’s heartwarming stance toward the colt, the somber tone of the poem, and its scattered rhyme scheme are the reasons for its popularity.
- “The Runaway” An Expression of the Speaker’s Emotions: This poem is about a lonely bolt that seems afraid of snow. The poet begins the poem after seeing an unattended colt in the pasture. The poor creature seems barely visible behind the veil of the falling snow. At first, the bolt seems attractive, calm, and friendly but as soon as the snow begins to fall, the seemingly friendly animal starts running desperately. This sudden shift makes the poet wonder what has caused the horse to run and concludes that he might have been afraid of the snow. This soothing image of the colt among the falling flakes replaces the frightening run of that lonely creature. Then, his violent run hints that the horse is not trained to live in the snow. As the poem progresses, the poet looks for the colt’s mother, believing she would make him aware of the danger as well as harmful impacts of the snowy season. The speaker takes pity on this poor creature and wishes to do something to eradicate his plight.
- Major Themes in “The Runaway”: Man versus nature, fear and animal love are the major themes of the poem. The poem centers on a colt that catches the poet’s attention when he stops by a mountain when the snow begins to fall. First, the colt appears gentle to them; however, the same animal seems in trouble once the snow arrives. He begins to run violently, trying to reach a safe place. His undefined moments and thunderous steps make the poet feel his miserable plight. On a surface level, the poem illustrates the condition of a horse who is left out in snowy weather. While, on a deeper level, the poet tries to evoke an emotional response among the readers for the people stuck in difficult situations. He wants to make his readers feel the pain of those poor souls who wants to get out of the troubles, but they fail to find a way out.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “The Runaway”
literary devices are useful tools that allow the writers to give multiple meanings to their words.. Robert Frost has also used some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ and /o/ in “Ought to be told to come and take him in” and the sound of /e/ in “Whoever it is that leaves him out so late.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /w/ in “wall again with whited eyes” and /t/ sound in “I think the little fellow.”
- Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. Robert Frost has repeated the word “and…” toward the end of the poem to emphasize the point such as;
“And now he comes again with a clatter of stone
And mounts the wall again with whited eyes
And all his tail that isn’t hair up straight.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /t/ in “He isn’t winter-broken. It isn’t play” and the sound of /n/ in “Like a shadow against the curtain of falling flakes.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“And now he comes again with a clatter of stone
And mounts the wall again with whited eyes
And all his tail that isn’t hair up straight.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Robert Frost has used imagery in the poem such as “We stopped by a mountain pasture to say, ‘Whose colt,” “With the little fellow at all. He’s running away” and “When other creatures have gone to stall and bin.”
- Personification: The poem shows the use of personifications as the poet devotes several lines to describe the young colt’s features and mannerisms.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Robert Frost has posed a rhetorical question in the second line of the poem to emphasize his point such as “We stopped by a mountain pasture to say, ‘Whose colt?”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings different from literal meanings. The expressions like “he had to bolt” and “the miniature thunder” symbolize the fear of the horse.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Runaway”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Robert Frost has used end rhyme in this poem such as “alone/stone”, “bin/in” and “fall/wall.”
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows the ABACBCD rhyme scheme but after that, it does not follow any strict pattern. Therefore, it is a mixture of rhyming patterns.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem comprises twenty-one lines with no stanza break.
Quotes to be Used
These lines express one’s love and care for the animals. These are useful while talking about the animal lovers that how they like to treat the animals they keep.
“Whoever it is that leaves him out so late,
When other creatures have gone to stall and bin,
Ought to be told to come and take him in.”
