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...the man is contemplating suicide. At this point in the man’s life, getting lost and dying in the woods seems easier than facing all of his troubles. The second stanza has a deeper meaning then what it seems. “My little horse must think it queer” (5). The man, having entered the human being, witnesses the natural drift of that human being’s thoughts to the brain of his “little horse”, who thinks its “queer” that the rider has decided to stop here. As if stopping without any house or anything around was enough, the speaker stops on “The darkest evening of the year” (8). Here, we can see that Frost is trying to let us know that the line is talking about death. In the next stanza, his horse is pulling at the reins bells trying to get him to leave the cold woods. “He gives his harness bells a shake” (9). The horse is representing the side of him that wants to return and confront his troubles. The drowsy dream-like line, “Of easy wind and downy flake” (12), opposes the horses instinctive urge for home with the man’s subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. In the last stanza, only quiet thoughts are portrayed. Again, the man is pondering whether or not to stay in the deep and lonely woods. “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep” (13). With this line, he is telling himself he would die in peace if he stayed within the depth of silent woods. The man in the poem shows no ill regard to being alone in the dark woods. The woods make the man question the meaning of life and whether he wants to commit suicide or not. “But I have promises to keep / And miles to go before I sleep / And miles to go before I sleep” (14-16). These final lines remind the man that he has commitments to loved ones that he cannot break. “These lines are repeated to warrant that continuing on is the fit thing for that man to do” (Perrine). It also suggests that a problem or tension still exists, that the poem doesn’t provide resolution. Frost uses the woods and darkness to symbolize death. The many miles the protagonist has to go before he sleeps implies a rejection of suicide, of death. The snow referred to in the poem is a symbol of depression. “To watch his woods fill up with snow” (4). The man in the poem is watching his world fill up with problems and sadness that he can’t seem to fix. According to Perrine, “the dark nowhere of the woods, the seen and heard movement of things, and the lullaby of inner speech are an invitation to sleep—and winter sleep is again close to easeful death.” The man in the poem is powerfully drawn to these woods. He wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The speaker says, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep” (13), but he resists their morbid attraction. The loveliness partakes of the depth and darkness that makes the woods so ominous. The theme of death is highlighted through the use of certain symbols. Darkness plays a predominant role in the poem. The man was walking in the woods on, "The darkest evening of the year" (13). This darkness not only describes the beginning of winter, but also the dead and dreariness of the thick blanketed forest. The darkness proves not to be evil though, as most reference to darkness is. Instead, "The woods ...