A rider stops in the middle of dark, cold, empty and dangerous woods while entering a contemplative dream like state. Due to the extremely cold weather this stop could be deadly. Even though the woods are dangerous, they are perceived as welcoming and beautiful by the rider. It is that contradictory perception of the woods that leads to an inner conflict in which the horse’s thoughts, which are a projection of the rider’s rationality, express the danger the stop represents. Through the use of assonances, projected thoughts and opposing adjectives, the loneliness of the rider is emphasized, thus making stand out his tormented state, dividedness and seemingly underlying search of death.

Loneliness is emphasized by the overall atmosphere created through the sounds. The assonance in /s/ and /ʊ/ gives the impression that the only sound present in this scene is the howling of the wind. Plus the poem forces you, when reading aloud, to make almost whistling sounds due to the many /s/ sounds repeating. It is the case throughout the whole poem but mostly striking in the first line of the first stanza and two first lines of the third stanza. Also the two last lines of the poem “And miles to go before I sleep” feel like the words are echoing in the empty woods giving thus the impression of emptiness.

Through the opposition of two spaces: the village and the woods, emptiness is furthermore underlined. The village, is where “His house is” and where “He will not see me stopping”. The spaces are thus shown as poles apart due to the impossibility of creating a link, even just visual, between them. Their description opposes them even more. The woods do not have a “farmhouse near”, they are “<filling> up with snow”, and “The only other sound’s the sweep/ of easy wind and downy flake”, whereas the village has a “house” and a person (“He” l.3) living in it. In this way the woods feel like an empty box in which the rider seems to be the sole living creature.

Yet the rider is not completely left alone because of the presence of his horse, which is referred to as “he” in the third stanza (not to be confused with the “He” in the first one). There being a second life form, the rider projects then his inner thoughts onto it. This is shown by the use of the verb “must” in the first line of the second stanza. Then comes an opposition between the “I” (the rider), the person that feels satisfaction in his lingering and contemplation of the dark woods, and the “he”, the horse which is the projection of the rider’s rationality and analytical side. This clash of thoughts is emphasized through the use of diametrically opposed adjectives to describe the woods: “lovely”(l.13) & “dark” (l.13). This also shows the rider’s sense of security inside those woods. In opposition the horse doubts of their security: “He gives his harness bells a shake/To ask if there is some mistake” (l.9 & l.10) In the end it’s the rational side of the rider that resolves the conflict by restarting their journey. Yet we feel that it is only a mechanical gesture since his thoughts remain on the idea of non movement “sleep” (l.15 & l.16), often consider as a metaphor of death. Through this conflict and its partial resolution the rider’s latent desire of dying is exposed.

In conclusion, the last two lines of the poem represent a partial resolution of the rider’s inner struggle. Since he seems to only start walking mechanically, postponing his “sleep”, to be understood here as his death. Plus the repetition of the same sentence show that his mind is stuck in a limbo thus not clearly ending his torment.