The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - Most Misinterpeted Poem in America

When attending any high school graduation, motivational speech, personal improvement seminar, or looking in any book of inspirational quotes, you will likely come across Robert Frost's famous words from his poem "The Road Not Taken".

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Since it was published in 1913, Americans have seen this phrase as a beautiful poetic statement of bold independence and non-conformity. It captures the American spirit of individuality and personal innovation. It has inspired many to seize the day and make their own way through life. Thus, across the country the phrase has been morphed into T-shirts, song lyrics, billboards, and hallmark cards. "The Road Not Taken", or at least the last three lines of the poem, is arguably one of the most famous and well recognized pieces of poetry in the United States.

However, it is one of the most awesomely misinterpreted poems. A more straight forward and less sweepingly metaphorical analysis will show readers that the poem has strong ironic undertones and rather investigates the concept that often there is no wrong choice, only the chosen choice, only referencing non-conformity and the superiority of "the path less taken" sarcastically. Study of the poem's background, title, content, and form will reveal that "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost is a lighthearted analysis of regret and rationalization of decisions.

Robert Frost is widely known for his natural themes and his depictions of American rural life. Many of his poems were inspired by wildlife expeditions. In the case of "The Road Not Taken" Frost was inspired when coming to a fork in the road with his hiking companion. According to Frost, his friend made a big deal about what road to take, even though they looked the same. Once choosing a path, the friend could not stop contemplating what their outcome would've been if they had decided to take the other road. Frost wrote the poem the poem partially as a joke, making fun of his friend.

The content of the poem consists of the speaker standing in the woods at a fork in a rural road. Both paths are equally walked on and both are covered with fallen leaves. The speaker is forced to decide to make a decision on one of the paths. However, with a sigh he says that one day he will tell a story that the path he took was less trodden upon. The story deals with the fact that the speaker must make a meaningless decision. However, the decision on which path to take engages him. The fact that the speaker makes up a story about the paths being different reveals his desire for the choice to be meaningful.

The speaker's contemplation leads to even deeper themes about the nature of all decisions. Frost examines the validity of decisions and whether one choice can ever be considered superior to another. The speaker has no predictions about the possible outcomes each path may have. "... long I stood/And looked down one as far as I could/
To where it bent in the undergrowth." This mimics the way humans can never know all of the possible outcomes of any decision. "The Road Not Taken" compares the meaningless decision of the speaker and the fork in the road to the many important life decisions a normal person makes. This begs whether decisions in life are really what control a person's life or even if a person truly controls there own decisions. The speaker is unhappy with the fact that either choice he makes is meaningless, because he is unaware of the outcome of either. His plan to lie and tell a story of a meaningful choice represents how all humans would like to believe they are in control of their lives presented with two different choices however they appear to him as extremely similar.

Aside from the larger investigation into choice, "The Road Not Taken" has many poetic devices which enhance the poem's overall tone and the speaker's voice. Frost, in the last stanza, utilizes repetition as well as enjambment.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

The "I" is repeated and separated by a dash and a line break. This technique makes the insincerity and inflection in the speaker's voice more clear to the reader. It emphasizes the depressed and nervous pause that the speaker has made before he lies. By making this more apparent, Frost shows the reader the wish of the speaker for his choices to be meaningful and the reader is more in touch with the emotions of the speaker.

When asked about "The Road Not Taken" Robert Frost replied, "You have to be careful of that one; it's a tricky poem - very tricky." Despite his warnings to proceed with caution, the masses have interpreted his poem on the base value of his words. However, many have been inspired to follow their own path, be individuals, and take the path less "trodden upon". Although it was not the intention of Robert Frost to have this effect on his readers, "The Road Not Taken" has had an immensely powerful impact on America.