Mending wall is famous poem authored by American poet, Robert Frost. The poem was originally published in 1914. The main theme of poem, “Mending Wall” is Borders and value of work.
Mending Wall Poem Summary By Robert Frost
Summary of Mending Wall By Robert Frost
The poet tells about his neighbour in poem with whom he perform a ritual once in a year where they repair boundary wall between them. They does it in every spring season.
The story of poem begins from poet who says there is one force which does not like the wall, and it swells the ground under wall. The upper stones of the wall have braked due to the harsh sunlight.
The poet is trying say there is one force which does not like the wall and it swells the ground beneath it. It makes gap in a wall through which even a two people can pass together.
The way hunters breaks a wall is different thing, I’m following them and I have repaired the wall. I have repaired wall in that condition where the hunter does not even left stone on a stone. The hunters does it so that they can have the rabbit out from the hiding wall.
Sometimes wall breaks due to the natural force. But sometimes Hunters break my walls to pass through it and find rabbits for their dog. The gaps which I’m talking about no one has even seen them build nor has anyone ever heard of them being made. But at the every spring season we find these types of gaps in wall to repair.
I told my neighbour about it who lives on mountains. Once in a year we meet to talk and build, repair the wall between us again. We keep the wall between us and live on different side of the wall. He lives on wall from his side property and I from my side.
We repair the gap from ours side of the walls, many stones from these walls are like loaves while some stones are like balls shape. We have to chant Mantras to keep them on wall, and that mantras is “Stay where you are until our backs are turned”. Don’t fall in front of us otherwise we would have to repair you again. Our fingers became rough while handling them.
This is like an outdoor game for us as it not a big work and it’s just like a play for us. This is game where both side have one – one player. From one side my neighbour plays and I do from other side. By the way we do not need a wall where it has build as my neighbour side of the wall are pine trees and my side of wall are apple orchard.
The poet says my apple trees will never cross the wall to eat pine fruits from my neighbour side. I tell him about it. My neighbour only says good boundaries make good neighbours. Good walls make good friendship in neighbour s.
Spring is a fun season for me and If I could ask him how these fences would make us good neighbours. Boundaries are required when your neighbours have cows, you build fences to protect your field from your neighbours cows but neither of us have cows. So why do we need a walls ?
Before building a wall I want to know whether I really want to do it or not. And who would be offended after building the wall. Sometimes I feel like there is a force that does not want a wall. The force wants to break these wall because it does not want any wall between two neighbour. I could say these gap are made by Elves.
I know who did these holes in the wall and I want my neighbour to find that person who made these gaps between walls. How did these holes comes into the walls. I see my neighbour bringing stones in his both hands and he is looking like a old warrior who is out to fight.
The writer is telling about his neighbour who don’t want to forget his father idea and don’t want to move forward in life. He knows it very well what his father said to him. And he says again, “Good boundaries made good neighbour”.
Conclusion : Even though people say not to have a wall but having a wall is good idea for two neighbour. As there would be no conflict between them if they have wall.
ABOUT AUTHOR : Robert Frost was an American poet who was born in 26 March 1874. He won Pulitzer Prize for his poetry for four times. Robert Frost famous work includes “Stopping by the woods on a Snowy Evening”, “The Road not Taken” and “Nothing Gold can Stay”.