The Main Message in Robert Frost’s The Road not Taken

'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost is a poem about the difficult and stressful choices in life. The poem was written in 1915 during World War One. The Poem is a narrative poem and is the best known of Frost’s poem. The Road Not Taken symbolizes life’s choices, although the speaker feels he made the correct and best decision, they still have a bit of regret because they couldn’t explore both of the roads, and has to go either one way or the other”. The Road Not Taken is a reflection of how you shouldn’t regret the difficult decisions you will make in life, and how you should be happy about your final destination, the author uses tone and an immense amount of symbolism to express this and encourages the reader to be happy and not regretful with there choices.

In “The Road Not Taken” the author uses symbolism to show the connection to the real world.”Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.” The “two roads diverged”symbolizes direction or path in life will dictate your life. In the second part of this quote the author is symbolizing the yellow woods as being in the middle of nowhere and you have to make a choice because change ultimately inevitable. As the speaker stands at the fork in the road he is faced with a decision that is life altering.The Author is relating this to the start of a new journey in life meaning a new being of something special.Although the roads may not have been different or one may not have been better than the other he made a choice, stuck with it, and was happy about the decision that they made.

Also in “The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost uses tone to prove you shouldn’t be regretful of the decisions you make along your journey. The Poem seems as if it should be interpreted in a light and airy mood.” I shall be telling this with a sigh,'. This is an example of tone the speaker is using during the poem. When the speaker says he shall be telling this with a sigh they are having a moment of nostalgia, meaning a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past,the speaker is remembering the time when he had to make during this line the hard choice, he is sitting back with a small grin and great feeling of happiness. Also the speaker states “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by. The speaker stopped and stuttered during this line to reassure, solidify, and remind himself that he made the correct choice, not because of the thought of regret and the thought of the speaker second guessing himself as some people may interpret this piece he took “the road less traveled”and was happy and that is what made all the difference for him. Finally the speaker stated “ And having,perhaps, the better claim,” I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference when the speaker stops in the first quote they are being optimistic, being hopeful and confident about the decisions that were made and are actually believing what they are saying, they are having faith.The speaker also feels that he made the correct and superior decision even if there wasn’t even a difference in the roads to begin with, it's the fact that he made his choice believed it was better and stuck with it.

In the poem” The Road Not Taken,” there are various details the speaker throws in to help you interpret the poem such as the meter. The Meter is iambic tetrameter, which is normally used in an upbeat song type manner when utilized in various pieces of poetry. “The Road Not Taken” consists of four stanzas of five lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAAB. This helps the reader know the true depiction, and the true intent of the poem. Such as the line “I shall be telling this with a sigh”, most readers, without knowing the meter and what that meter means, may think this line is filled with regret a sorrow when it is surprisingly a good memory filled with joy and remembering a special moment not remorse. Also the author constantly reiterated the line “Two Roads Diverged in a yellow wood” to constantly remind himself he is deserted, alone, has no one to turn to, stranded,and in the middle of nowhere just lost.

Ultimately, the poem is a huge metaphor, and the reader is left to think about choices in life and to interpret the faith of the speaker and the true meaning of the words the author has utilized based on the symbolism and tone.

Though as for that the passing there.

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

This is implying that neither of the roads are less traveled by and at this point in the morning, nobody has yet travelled on either path where the road forks, because if they did then the leaves on one path or both would be stepped on and have turned darker from people walking on them. Each path is equal to one another. The most important part the speaker wants the reader to take home is to be happy and not regretful with their choices that they make, because it's not about getting the better plot of land, its about sticking with your land that you choice and making the best from it and being happy with what you have, rather than be bitter about what you don't have.