In Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening the persona takes a rest “without a farmhouse near” (l.6). The persona is divided between his desire to stop by the woods and the duty he needs to fulfil. This envy is motivated by the attractiveness of nature thanks to its depiction and thanks to the regularity of the meter and the rhymes. At the same time, the horse who wants to leave, serves to alert the persona as to wake him up from the dream created by the woods.

The main idea of the poem is about the duality the persona faces throughout the poem. On one hand there is his will to dwell in contemplation in the compelling woods and on the other hand his promises he needs to keep. The nature beckons him in a way that makes him stop “to watch […] woods fill up with snow” (l.4). The attractiveness is emphasized by the depiction of the peaceful nature the persona faces thanks to the sounds of “sweep of easy wind and downy flake” and the sight of the woods that are “lovely, dark and deep” (l.11-12-13). This description makes this place feel cosy and appealing. In addition this feeling of a peaceful place is stronger as a result of the regularity of the meter and the rhymes. The poem is indeed written in an iambic tetrameter structure and with a rhyme scheme that respects the AABA BBCB and CCDC pattern. The interruption of the regularity of the rhyme in the last stanza (DDDD) and the repetition of the last line emphasize the fact that he needs to convince himself to pursue his journey. Therefore his heart is divided in two, the appeal of a calm and cosy nature on one hand and the appeal of his responsibilities on the other hand.

This inner conflict is illustrated throughout the poem as the conflict between the persona’s desire and the horse’s. The horse provides an alert as he represents the man’s conscience. He alerts him in two steps in the second and third stanzas. First, on line 5-6 the horse “must think it queer to stop without a farmhouse near”. The “must” suggests it is normal it thinks so because, even the persona realised it by using this verb of obligation. Second, on lines 9-10 the horse’s “harness bells” are shaken “to ask if there is some mistake” in order to alert a second time the persona who didn’t react the first time. In contrast in both stanzas the second part depicts the peacefulness of nature that makes him want to stop. The idea of calmness is caused by the “frozen lake” (l.7) and the production of the sound of “the sweep of easy wind and downy flake” (l.11-12). “The only other sound” (l.11) accentuates the evidence that there is a conflict only between these two entities, the horse and the nature that attracts the persona. Therefore the conflict is represented by the opposition of two instincts, the horse’s instinct that wants to leave and on the contrary the man’s instinct that wants to stay.

The persona in this poem is at a crossroad between his wish and his responsibilities. As he is attracted by the woods, a part of him knows he needs to go on. The role of the horse is to wake him from this illusion and to bring him to go ahead. The persona will therefore try to convince himself by repeating the things he needs to do. In this way even if it is not said explicitly it is understood that the persona continue his journey despite all the emotions he went through during the poem.