Themes InMending Wall, By Robert Frost

In “Mending Wall”, two neighbors are ironically united by the traditional rebuilding of the wall between them. A wall symbolizes boundaries, orders, and separation. Or does it? One of the two neighbors doesn’t seem to think so. “Good fences make good neighbors” is his motto. (Line 26) The neighbor doesn’t see how ironic it is that the wall is a meeting spot. He uses the wall as an excuse to talk with his neighbor, because he is not very open or conversational. The situational irony ostended by Robert Frost is that the wall between the two clashing neighbors is supposed to separate them. However, each year, when they meet to “walk the line”, the wall serves as a meeting spot for the two to catch up. (Line 12) Dividing, but unifying, Frost uses the wall to symbolize unity amongst clashing people. Without the situational irony of repairing the wall, the two incompatible neighbors would unlikely be able to unite.

In Amy Bloom’s short story, “Silver Waters”, the narrator, Violet, reveals the struggles of mental illnesses that Rose, her sister, suffers with. Violet discusses the many psychiatric wards Rose ends up in and the therapists that the family hates. More times than not, the family ends up protecting Rose from many of the dangers that the world possesses, like confusing insurance policies. Throughout the novel, the psychiatrists and therapists do not seem to care about Rose or the fact that she is more than just her mental illness; she has a complex personality. In “Silver Water”, Bloom uses the characterization of psychiatrists and therapists who interact with Rose to demonstrate that people with mental illnesses are not taken seriously; the symbolism of silver water proves that Rose has a complex personality with a beautiful voice, which proves that she deserves to be taken seriously.

The narrator himself is not fond of the wall — he feels that the wall is unnecessary, unfriendly, and slightly offensive. However, his neighbor says, "Good fences make good neighbors. " This is an old proverb that implies that there are only good, happy neighbors when there are boundaries; that way, there is no fighting over whose property is whose. It helps to create lines, which eliminates potential conflict. For example, if there is a tree that is in between two houses, who must rake the leaves each fall?

“Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family”(Joseph Brodsky). “The Mending wall” was written in 1914 by Robert Frost. This tells the story of a town and the walls that the townspeople love to keep, and even when the walls fall the townspeople will always build them right back up. The narrator of this story seems to question these walls however, all anyone around him can reply to this is that good fences make good neighbors. The people of this town keep the walls because it is what their parents did, and what their parents before did, a tradition of sorts. This story leaves us the question of whether or not fences make good neighbors? In some sense maybe, they keep property lines, help to keep some order in our crazy worlds, and even to protect ourselves. However, I do not think that the fences make good neighbors, I think that these fences divide us and keep us from making connections with others. Although these walls may protect us, they separate us and in the end do not make good neighbors.

Building physical and emotional walls has a negative impact on the people, countries, and civilizations they divide. In the case of Frost's poem, the wall took away the narrator's voice. The narrator disliked the wall, but was too timid to speak up for what he believes in. His neighbor says "good walls make good neighbors," but the narrator felt as if the wall should be torn down, and they should unite

In the short story “The Interlopers,” the dynamic character Ulrich undergoes a few changes, in the opinion of Georg. He starts out as Georg’s enemy and they carry on a family feud that has been going on for generations. As boys, Ulrich and Georg were raised to hate each other and growing up they longed for each other’s misery. Ulrich’s purpose for being in the dark woods on such a stormy night was because of what he wanted most: he wanted to murder Georg.

In Robert Frost’s poem “A Mending Wall” a stone wall separates the speaker from his neighbor. In the spring the speaker and the neighbor meet

In the short story, "The Interlopers" by Saki, he demonstrates the internal struggle of the main character, Ulrich von Gradwitz, in which Ulrich offers friendship to a generational rival. The narrator describes the hate Ulrich had for Georg Znaeym as, "The neighborhood feud had grown into a personal one since Ulrich had come to be head of his family" (1). The hatred Ulrich has for Georg is on such a high level he wishes illness and death on Georg. The only idea Ulrich has in his head is to be face to face with Georg in the forest. They meet face to face and a tree falls on top of them. After long suffering Ulrich realizes that it is time to end their feud "Neighbor if you will help me to bury the old quarrel I will ask you to be my friend"

Arthur Baer once said “A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn’t climb over it.” In the poem ‘Mending Wall’, by Robert Frost, it talks about two neighbors who rebuild a wall between their pastures. One believes the wall is good and neccary but the other thinks the wall is pointless due to the fact neither have livestock or other pets to trespass on one’s land. Fences are good at respecting boundaries though it can cause issues with neighbors, such as lack of communication or miscommunication, boundary disputes, and regulations that are needed to be met and maintained due to the fencing.

In his poem 'Mending Wall', Robert Frost presents to us the thoughts of barriers linking people, communication, friendship and the sense of security people gain from barriers. His messages are conveyed using poetic techniques such as imagery, structure and humor, revealing a complex side of the poem as well as achieving an overall light-hearted effect. Robert Frost has cleverly intertwined both a literal and metaphoric meaning into the poem, using the mending of a tangible wall as a symbolic representation of the barriers that separate the neighbors in their friendship.

He also uses other devices such as a pun, applied in the line, "And to whom I was like to give offence." The last word of the line simply emphasizes the importance of the subject, the fence. The most prominent figure of speech, however, is the ironic, "Good fences make good neighbors." This is completely opposite of the connotation of the poem. Fences do not make neighbors, but strangers that are apathetic towards each other. The neighbor seems to prefer this approach, to eliminate any risks of trespassing or offenses. Yet what the fence really does is hinder the development of friendship. This is comparable to the barriers of bitterness, anger, hate, and fear men put between one another that obstruct love and friendship.

Similar to “Acquainted with the Night,” isolation is a major theme in “Mending Wall.” In “Mending Wall,” there are two characters: the speaker and the neighbor. The two characters have two different opinions on what make a “good neighbor.” The neighbor views walls as a crucial object in

Should traditions that seem to have no use in the modern day be done away with? The speaker in “Mending Wall” thinks so. While many traditions are good, the poem “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost suggests, that we should question them every once in awhile. In the poem, Robert Frost, describes how two neighbors repair a stone wall every spring. The speaker, the neighbor whose thoughts we have insight to, calls into question why the wall is being built and for what reason must there be a wall. However his neighbor's response is “Good walls make good neighbours”. The speaker is a hypocrite because he accuses the neighbor of being set in tradition but he himself tells the reader that he mends the wall on his own spare time. The reader comes to the conclusion that the wall is a symbol for questioning traditions. Robert Frost’s use of allegory, symbolism, and imagery help us get to that conclusion.

While the narrator seems more willing to reach out to his neighbor, in the end, he does not. He does wonder why fences supposedly make good neighbors. For him, the question is what is he "walling in or walling out"? He seems to realize that he is "walling out" other people. As long as the symbolic wall stands between the neighbors, they will always be separated. Earlier in the poem, Frost uses the symbolism of a rabbit to seemingly reinforce this point. The hunters must destroy the wall in order to "have the rabbit out of hiding". The men, in turn must break down the walls between them if they are to come out of "hiding". The narrator seems to have a desire to point this out to his neighbor. However, he does not, simply dismissing his idea as "the mischief" that spring has instilled in him. He realizes that he is unable to communicate with his neighbor in any meaningful fashion and, thus, remains in isolation from him.