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Anthony Lu

Mrs. Boness

English Period 2

16 December 2016

Reality vs. Expectations

In the poem “Mending Wall,” there is a wall between the speaker and his neighbor which

requires repairing every year because nature and hunters create gaps in the wall. The speaker

describes the mending of the wall as a fun activity but the neighbor is much more serious about

the function of the wall, stating “Good fences make good neighbors” (45). In the blank verse

narrative poem “Mending Wall,” Frost explores the paradox of the wall to demonstrate that

barriers or walls can often facilitate connection between people rather than hinder it. Frost also

extends this theme through another aspect of the paradox to suggest that how one person views

the reality of a situation is often incomplete.

At the beginning of the poem, from lines 1 to 15, the description of the situation

communicates that the wall is symbolic but does not really fulfill its symbolic purpose. The

poem begins with “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” (1), where the order of the words

in a sentence was changed from “there is something” to “something there is.” The “something”

described is nature, as nature “sends the frozen-ground-swell under it [the wall] and spills the

upper boulder in the sun” (2-3). In these first few lines, Frost’s imagery to describe nature

breaking down the wall emphasizes how the wall is a man-made construct which must be

maintained by humans, as it naturally breaks down. The portrayal of the speaker’s reaction to the

hunters breaking down the wall, when he states “I have come after them and made repair” (6),

demonstrates how the speaker views the wall as human’s responsibility to maintain, and the

speaker goes after the hunter for not playing the role humans should be playing, which is to
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counter the work of nature. However, the act of the hunters also helps bring the two neighbors

together to mend the wall, demonstrating how the wall ends up bringing people together despite

its original purpose as a barrier. The speaker states “I let my neighbor know beyond the hill; And

on a day we meet to walk the line” (12-13). This establishes the irony that the speaker and

neighbor are brought together due to the wall, and thus the relationship is preserved through this

barrier. In the first section of the poem, Frost depicts a contradiction in the purpose of the wall.

Additionally, in the middle of the poem, from lines 16 to 27, Frost’s figurative language

portrays a contrast between the speaker and his neighbor and also expands on the contradictions

caused by the wall. The speaker notes that boulders have fallen on each side of the wall and to

put them back in place, “We have to use a spell to make them balance” (18). The metaphor of a

spell representing the effort required for people to undo what nature has done suggests that the

fixing is not as much a chore as it may appear, and can be somewhat fun for the speaker. This

attitude of the speaker’s is repeated when he states that the mending of the wall is “Oh, just

another kind of outdoor game” (21). This repetition portrays a contrast between the speaker’s

less serious attitude and his neighbor’s uncompromising attitude regarding the wall. However,

the irony is that although the speaker appears to be the lighter hearted neighbor, the speaker is

also the one who initiates the fixing of the wall each year, demonstrating another contradiction

relating to the wall. The speaker is not well aware of it when he thinks “He is all pine and I am

apple orchard” (24). The symbolism of a pine to represent the speaker’s view of the more

uncompromising attitude of the speaker’s neighbor emphasizes that this is the speaker’s view of

his neighbor, although it may not be completely accurate. This portrayal of another aspect of the

paradox demonstrates the discrepancy between reality and expectations: just like how the wall is
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intended to be a barrier but does not fully serve that purpose, the speaker believes his neighbor to

be more serious, largely based on what his neighbor says, but this is not necessarily the case.

Finally, towards the end of the poem, Frost reiterates the paradox regarding the “Mending

Wall.” The repetition of the lines, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” (1, 35) and

“Good fences make good neighbors” (27, 45) illustrate the two contrasting views of the necessity

of the wall; however, since it is not clear which view the speaker really represents, this

communicates an aspect of the paradox caused by the wall. In addition, the repetition of the

reference to magic when the speaker states “I could say “Elves” to him” (36), which is repeated

from the reference to a spell in line 18, illustrates that natural forces beyond human control are

the cause for why the speaker and neighbor were brought together by the wall, and thus that

people’s plans and expectations are often separate from reality. The attitude of this thought also

demonstrates that the speaker envisions himself being less serious than his neighbor, which is

paradoxical because the speaker is, in many ways, more important in reestablishing the boundary

than his neighbor. Finally, the speaker’s description of his neighbor as an “old-stone savage

armed” (40) also demonstrates this contradiction caused largely by the speaker’s attitude. The

speaker views his neighbor as primitive, similar to someone from the Stone Age who uses

barriers to protect “his land.” Frost’s portrayal of the speaker’s incomplete perspective reiterates

the paradox and emphasizes the inconsistencies of the speaker’s thoughts with reality.

Frost’s portrayal of the wall as a huge paradox demonstrates the gap between reality and

intent, both regarding the wall’s and the speaker’s perception of the attitudes of the two

neighbors. The ineffectiveness of barriers can be applied to other types of barriers, for example,

when people try to block themselves off from others, the result is often that others try to

understand them rather than avoid them. Similarly, the speaker’s incomplete view of reality can
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be extended to most other situations, as Frost suggests that we should explore other perspectives

to understand a situation better than if we only understand our own.