THe Road Not Taken - Life's Choices
...rost depicts the struggles that the narrator faces with having to choose when he writes, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood…” (Lines 1-3) It is apparent the narrator has a difficult choice to make and is carefully considering his options. In the first stanza, the emphasis and attention are placed on the road that is not traveled. The narrator wants to travel both roads, but realizes that this is impossible. He appears to stand for a lengthy period of time as he contemplates the decision that he is about to make, knowing that the path that he chooses will forever change his course in life. After the choice of roads is described and considered, Frost writes "Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back." (Lines 13-15) It is at this point that the narrator makes his choice. Here, he knows he is bound by the decision that he has made. He wants to hold on to the other possibility, but knows this cannot be. His choice becomes the road taken, and the path more traveled becomes “The Road Not Taken." He chooses the road that is “grassy and wanted wear.” (Line 8) The road he chooses has a “better claim,” (Line 7) because it is this road that is less traveled on. By choosing this path, Frost allows us a glimpse at the narrator’s personality. We see an individual that is adventurous and wants to tackle new and unproven tasks. He is determined and does not allow “leaves no step had trodden black” (Line 12) to point him down the path of least resistance. Of the first, well-worn path, Frost says, “Oh, I kept the first for another day.” (Line 13) This relates to his desire to travel down both paths. In his statement, “Yet knowing ho...