Explication of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

On the surface of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, the narrator appears to be conflicted about which path to choose in the woods. The narrator wants to travel both paths. One path is the one more frequently traveled. The other path is the path that is less frequently traveled, and it “is grassy and wants wear” (8). The narrator wants to travel one path that next and travel the other path on a different day. However, he knows that once he chooses a path, he will most likely never be able to walk down the second one. He says “Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how ways leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back” (13-15). The last stanza shows that the poem is really a metaphor for decisions in life. When making the decision, we are not sure how the decision will affect the rest of our lives. However, once we make this decision, there is no turning back. The narrator knows that his decision will make a big impact on his life, and he says “I shall be telling this with a sigh someone ages and ages hence” (16-17). In the end, the narrator decides to take the path that is less chosen, saying, “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” (19-20). The narrator does not regret his decision to take the less-chosen path, and instead is grateful that he chose the option that is right for him, rather than conforming to the rest of the population.

The poem is divided into stanzas that help show the narrator’s progression of thought. The first stanza presents the reader with the image of two paths. The third and fourth stanzas describe each path; the path that is frequented by travelers and the path that is rarely traveled. The last stanza shows which path the narrator chose, and the consequences of choosing that path.