Robert Frost Mending Wall Commentary PDF

Some Thoughts on "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost (1847-1963)
Gail Lipsitz, Literature Instructor, Edward A. Myerberg Center

March 24, 2020
I have to wonder what poet Robert Frost would think of "social distancing."
It has been only a few weeks since we were mandated to adopt this new kind of behavior
in response to the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Human beings are by nature social
creatures, depending on each other to fill many needs, and especially the needs for
companionship and love. How hard it is already proving to be physically separated from
family and friends, to be deprived of hugs, sharing meals, and coming together in groups.
How strange and artificial it feels to try to maintain 6 feet of space between you and
another person. In effect, we must now erect invisible walls in order to protect ourselves
and others.
"Something there is that doesn't love a wall," wrote Robert Frost. Man, you
got that right, in light of our current situation. Although his poem portrays a different
situation, we can take from it some insights relevant to us today. Let's look at the poem
first.
The speaker in the poem lives out in the country, probably in New England.
Every spring, he and his neighbor enact a kind of ritual, meeting at the old stone wall that
divides their large properties, in order to repair or "mend" the wall. During the winter
freeze and spring thaw, nature has caused some of the boulders to shift and spill. Also
hunters have pushed stones aside in pursuit of their prey, leaving large "gaps even two
can pass abreast." The two neighbors laboriously pick up the heavy fallen stones and
replace them, each on his side: "...we meet to walk the line/And set the wall between us
once again./We keep the wall between us as we go/..... Oh, just another kind of out-door
game,/One on a side." The repetition here emphasizes the importance of re-establishing
the physical separation between them as they work in unison.
The speaker views and portrays this cooperative wall mending with skepticism
and irony. "There where it is we do not need the wall... " In fact, there is already a hill,
a natural physical barrier, between them. He tries to convince his neighbor of the futility
of this exercise through humor: "My apple trees will never get across/And eat the cones
under his pines." Typically, you'd need a wall to keep cows from wandering over to your
neighbor's property, "But here there are no cows."
The neighbor isn't buying it. "He only says, 'Good fences make good
neighbours,'" quoting an old [17th century] proverb he learned from his father. The
speaker wants to know: "Why do they make good neighbors?" And so do we. Are
fences that clearly demarcate individuals' property meant to prevent disputes and
trespassing, and protect their privacy? But what are we so afraid of? The speaker says:
"Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down."
Notice the repetition of the poem's first line near the end, with the additional line this
time. The speaker is emphasizing his idea that building a wall between people is
unnatural. Also notice that the syntax of the sentence is inverted. Normally we would
say, "There is something that doesn't love a wall." But how flat that is. By placing
"Something" first, making it the subject, Frost is immediately pitching the ball to us (to
borrow an image from the poem), prompting us to ask ourselves: "What is that
'Something that doesn't love a wall'?"
In the last part of the poem, the speaker sees his neighbor:
"Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees."
The neighbor blindly repeats this annual wall mending ritual for no good reason, refuses
to be enlightened and won't budge from his position, stubbornly repeating "Good fences
make good neighbours." We are left wondering why he gets the last word in the poem.
What exactly is a "good" fence? And why does the neighbor with the apple orchards
even agree to go through this work every year when he knows the wall will inevitably
collapse again? Perhaps he just wants to keep the peace.
That old proverb, "Good fences make good neighbours," takes on new meaning
today. We are being asked to stay in our homes as much as possible for who knows how
long. By doing that, we are not only protecting ourselves but also being good neighbors,
avoiding the possibility that we could infect others with the virus if we happen to get it.
We are "walling out" danger, but at the same time "walling in" ourselves and anyone we
live with. Some are already experiencing how challenging being together so intensely
can be; others are enjoying the novelty. Some people who live alone are feeling isolated
and lonely. Others are enjoying their own company and finding ways to entertain
themselves. As a lover and teacher of literature, need I say there is nothing like reading
a good book to travel to other places and times when we physically can't go there now.
I have been staying at home, going out only for a daily long walk with my friend
and neighbor, my long-time walking companion. The fresh air, sun and exercise, as
always, boost my sense of well-being. We try to keep 6 feet between us, which means
we have to raise our voices slightly to carry on our conversations. What is fascinating is
how our bodies keep drifting closer together, wanting to walk side by side as they we
always have. We laugh as we remind ourselves of the 6 feet rule and move further apart,
but it still feels strange. As Frost's poem says: "...we meet to walk the line/And set the
wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go." But in our case,
it's an invisible line or low wall intended to protect each other, not a tangible physical
barrier designed to demarcate properties.
If this situation continues for a long time, I suspect most of us will start to feel
more strongly that "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." Can our social needs
and instincts help us reach over the walls and fences to make us "good neighbours" in
these trying times? I think they already are. People are connecting with each other in
all sorts of ways: from phone calls to social media to online classes, programs, and group
conversations. People are delivering groceries to the elderly and to hungry kids and
families. Neighbors, friends and family are calling to check in and bring cheer to each
other, especially to those living alone.
My favorite image from these past few weeks, symbolizing people reaching out to
each other while "sheltering in place," is the Italian opera singer who came out on his
balcony to serenade all his neighbors. May we all find ways to lift our own and others'
spirits, or as Frost's poem would have it, to bring light into darkness.
Note: I have put some key words and phrases in Frost's poem in boldface for emphasis.

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What is the central theme of the poem 'Mending Wall'?

What insights does the author draw from the poem that are relevant today?

Some Thoughts on "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost (1847-1963)

Gail Lipsitz, Literature Instructor, Edward A. Myerberg Center

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