The Road not taken

 “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is often misunderstood as a poem that celebrates individualism and the idea of forging one’s own path in life. However, a closer reading of the poem reveals that this interpretation is too simplistic.

The speaker of the poem faces a choice between two paths and ultimately chooses the less travelled one.

There is a position that the two roads in “The Road Not Taken” are interchangeable, and it is valid, as the text of the poem supports it. As the speaker himself notes, the two paths “equally lay / In leaves” and “the passing there / Had worn them really about the same.”

The poem’s speaker tells us he “shall be telling,” in the future, of how he took the road less travelled, yet he has already admitted that the two paths “equally lay / In leaves” and “the passing there / Had worn them really about the same.” So, the road he will later call less travelled is actually the road equally travelled. The two roads are interchangeable.

The title of the poem emphasizes the path not taken and reinforces that the speaker is not celebrating the idea of taking the less-travelled path for its own sake but using the idea as a metaphor for the choices we make in life.

Taking the road less travelled is also significant. This suggests that he sees his choice as important and worth remembering, even if the two paths were interchangeable in terms of their level of use.

Overall, while the idea that the two paths in the poem are interchangeable may challenge some interpretations of the poem as a celebration of individualism, it does not negate the idea that the poem is about making choices and taking risks in life.

The poem is not just about the importance of individual choice. In fact, the poem acknowledges both paths were equally “worn” and that the speaker will never return to the one he did not take. The final stanza of the poem is moving:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The speaker’s use of the word “sigh” implies regret about his choice, and one can read the line “And that has made all the difference” in different ways - as either a positive or negative statement.

The poem’s title itself, “The Road Not Taken,” suggests that the speaker is also thinking about the path he did not take. This adds to the complexity of the poem and suggests that it is not a celebration of individualism.

In conclusion, while “The Road Not Taken” may seem like a straightforward celebration of individualism, a deeper reading of the poem reveals a more complex and nuanced message. The poem acknowledges the importance of individual choice but also recognizes that these choices can be difficult and come with regret. As we look back over our lives how many of us think about the choices we made and the ones we celebrate and the ones we regret?