Summary: Mending Wall
Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" explores the theme of boundaries and barriers between people through the annual ritual of repairing a stone wall between two neighbors' properties. The poem begins with the observation that something in nature dislikes walls, causing them to crumble through frost heaves and creating gaps large enough for two people to pass through. Each spring, the speaker and his neighbor meet to repair the wall, placing the fallen boulders back in position. The speaker questions the necessity of the wall, noting that he has an apple orchard while his neighbor has pine trees, and their properties pose no threat to each other. He playfully challenges his neighbor's traditional belief that "Good fences make good neighbors," wondering what they are actually walling in or out. The neighbor, however, refuses to question this inherited wisdom from his father and mechanically repeats the saying. The speaker sees his neighbor as moving in darkness, blindly following tradition without reasoning. The poem presents two contrasting philosophies: the speaker's belief in openness and questioning tradition versus the neighbor's adherence to barriers and conventional wisdom. Through this simple rural activity, Frost explores deeper questions about human relationships, tradition versus reason, and whether walls unite or divide communities.
Summary Malayalam: Mending Wall
റോബർട്ട് ഫ്രോസ്റ്റിന്റെ "മെൻഡിംഗ് വാൾ" രണ്ട് അയൽക്കാരുടെ സ്വത്തുക്കൾക്കിടയിലെ കല്ല് മതിൽ അറ്റകുറ്റപ്പണി നടത്തുന്ന വാർഷിക ആചാരത്തിലൂടെ മനുഷ്യർക്കിടയിലെ അതിരുകളുടെയും തടസ്സങ്ങളുടെയും പ്രമേയം പര്യവേക്ഷണം ചെയ്യുന്നു. പ്രകൃതിയിൽ മതിലുകളെ ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടാത്ത എന്തോ ഒന്നുണ്ടെന്ന നിരീക്ഷണത്തോടെയാണ് കവിത ആരംഭിക്കുന്നത്. തണുത്തുറഞ്ഞ മണ്ണിന്റെ വീക്കം മൂലം മതിലുകൾ തകരുകയും വലിയ വിടവുകൾ സൃഷ്ടിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഓരോ വസന്തകാലത്തും, കവിയും അയൽക്കാരനും കൂടിച്ചേർന്ന് മതിൽ നന്നാക്കുന്നു. കവി മതിലിന്റെ ആവശ്യകതയെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യുന്നു, തനിക്ക് ആപ്പിൾ തോട്ടവും അയൽക്കാരന് പൈൻ മരങ്ങളുമാണെന്നും അവരുടെ സ്വത്തുക്കൾ പരസ്പരം ഒരു ഭീഷണിയല്ലെന്നും ചൂണ്ടിക്കാണിക്കുന്നു. "നല്ല വേലികൾ നല്ല അയൽക്കാരെ ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നു" എന്ന തന്റെ അയൽക്കാരന്റെ പരമ്പരാഗത വിശ്വാസത്തെ അദ്ദേഹം കളിയായി വെല്ലുവിളിക്കുന്നു. എന്നിരുന്നാലും, അയൽക്കാരൻ പിതാവിൽ നിന്ന് പാരമ്പര്യമായി ലഭിച്ച ഈ ജ്ഞാനത്തെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യാൻ വിസമ്മതിക്കുകയും യാന്ത്രികമായി ആ ചൊല്ല് ആവർത്തിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. തുറന്ന മനസ്സും പാരമ്പര്യത്തെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യലും വിശ്വസിക്കുന്ന കവിയും തടസ്സങ്ങളും പരമ്പരാഗത ജ്ഞാനവും പിന്തുടരുന്ന അയൽക്കാരനും എന്ന രണ്ട് വിപരീത തത്ത്വചിന്തകൾ കവിത അവതരിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ഈ ലളിതമായ ഗ്രാമീണ പ്രവർത്തനത്തിലൂടെ, മനുഷ്യബന്ധങ്ങൾ, പാരമ്പര്യവും യുക്തിയും, മതിലുകൾ സമൂഹങ്ങളെ ഏകീകരിക്കുന്നുവോ വിഭജിക്കുന്നുവോ എന്നിങ്ങനെയുള്ള ആഴമേറിയ ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ ഫ്രോസ്റ് പര്യവേക്ഷണം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
About Robert Frost
Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of America's most celebrated poets, known for his colloquial style and poems about rural New England life. His poems characteristically begin in delight and end in wisdom. He received four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry: for "New Hampshire" (1924), "Collected Poems" (1931), "A Further Range" (1937), and "A Witness Tree" (1943). His most famous works include "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "The Road Not Taken." Frost's poetry explores themes of nature, human relationships, choices, and the tension between tradition and change, weaving complex philosophical questions into simple, everyday situations.
Questions and Answers
Why does the poet say that there is something that doesn't love a wall?
The poet observes that natural forces seem to work against walls and barriers. He refers to "frozen-ground-swell," which is the expansion and contraction of soil during freezing and thawing cycles that causes the ground to heave and shift. This natural phenomenon pushes the wall from underneath, causing the upper boulders to spill and fall, creating gaps large enough for two people to pass through side by side. The poet personifies nature as having an active dislike for walls, suggesting that barriers are unnatural and that nature itself works to break them down. This opening line sets the philosophical tone of the poem, hinting that walls and divisions between people may be contrary to natural order and harmony. The repetition of this line later in the poem reinforces the idea that something fundamental in existence—whether nature or human spirit—resists artificial separation and boundaries.
Why does the poet meet his neighbour beyond the hill at spring?
The poet meets his neighbor beyond the hill in spring for their annual ritual of mending the stone wall that separates their properties. Spring is "mending-time" because it is during this season that they discover the gaps created in the wall over winter. The frozen ground swells during winter, and when spring arrives and the ice melts, they find that boulders have fallen and gaps have appeared. This seasonal meeting has become a tradition between the two neighbors. The phrase "beyond the hill" indicates that the neighbor lives on the other side of the hill, separated by the boundary wall. Spring represents renewal and is traditionally associated with new beginnings, but ironically in this poem, spring brings them together to rebuild barriers rather than break them down. The timing is both practical (when damage is discovered) and symbolic (a season of growth used to maintain divisions).
How do the poet and his neighbour mend the gaps in the wall?
The poet and his neighbor mend the wall by walking along its length together, with the wall between them, and replacing the fallen boulders. They work cooperatively yet separately, each taking responsibility for the stones that have fallen on their own side. The boulders vary in shape—some are rounded like loaves of bread while others are nearly spherical like balls. Balancing these irregular stones requires skill and patience, so they playfully use a "spell" or charm, saying "Stay where you are until our backs are turned!" as if speaking to the stones themselves. The work is physically demanding, wearing their fingers rough from handling the heavy, rough stones. The poet describes the activity as "just another kind of outdoor game, one on a side," suggesting a certain absurdity to the ritual. Despite working together, they maintain the wall between them throughout the process, symbolizing how the very act of cooperation paradoxically maintains their separation.
Why does the poet argue that there is no need of a wall in between his estate and that of his neighbour?
The poet presents a logical argument against the necessity of the wall by pointing out that their properties pose no threat to each other. He has an apple orchard while his neighbor has pine trees. His apple trees will never cross over and "eat the cones under his pines," highlighting the absurdity of needing a barrier between trees that cannot possibly encroach on each other. There are no animals like cows that might wander from one property to another, which would be a practical reason for maintaining a fence. The poet questions the fundamental purpose of the wall by asking what they are "walling in or walling out" and to whom they might give offense by not having the wall. He sees no practical justification for maintaining this barrier. His argument represents a rational, questioning approach to tradition, suggesting that customs should have clear purposes and should be examined rather than blindly followed. The wall serves no functional purpose and only creates unnecessary division between neighbors who could otherwise have a more open relationship.
How does the neighbour justify the need for walls or fences?
The neighbor justifies the need for walls by repeatedly saying, "Good fences make good neighbors." This is an inherited saying from his father, representing traditional wisdom passed down through generations. He does not provide any logical reasoning or practical justification for the wall. Instead, he relies entirely on this proverbial statement, which he has accepted without question. He refuses to go "behind his father's saying," meaning he will not analyze or think critically about why this might be true or whether it applies to their specific situation. The neighbor takes satisfaction in this inherited wisdom, repeating it at both the beginning and end of their conversation. His justification is based purely on tradition and authority rather than reason or necessity. The proverb suggests that clear boundaries create respect and prevent conflicts between neighbors, implying that good relationships require defined limits and separation rather than openness and trust. However, the neighbor never engages with the poet's questions about why this should be so or whether it makes sense in their particular circumstances.
Why does the poet consider the spring season mischievous?
The poet says "Spring is the mischief in me" because the season's spirit of renewal and change inspires him to question and challenge the tradition of maintaining the wall. Spring represents new life, growth, and transformation in nature, and this energy awakens a playful, questioning attitude in the poet. The "mischief" refers to his desire to put a "notion" in his neighbor's head—to make him think critically about why they maintain the wall and whether the old saying "Good fences make good neighbors" actually makes sense. Spring's transformative energy makes the poet want to shake up established patterns and traditions, to break down not just physical walls but mental barriers and unexamined beliefs. The word "mischief" suggests something playful rather than malicious, indicating that the poet wants to gently provoke thought and awareness in his neighbor. It is ironic that spring, a season of breaking through and growing, is when they meet to rebuild barriers, and this irony fuels the poet's mischievous desire to challenge the tradition.
What are the contrasting views presented in the poem?
The poem presents a fundamental contrast between two worldviews embodied by the speaker and his neighbor. The speaker represents progressive thinking, rationality, questioning of tradition, and openness. He believes in examining customs to determine their purpose and necessity. He sees no reason for the wall since their properties pose no threat to each other, and he values connection over separation. He is willing to question inherited wisdom and seeks to understand the true purpose behind actions. The speaker represents light, reason, and a desire to break down unnecessary barriers. In contrast, the neighbor represents conservative thinking, tradition, and the unquestioning acceptance of inherited wisdom. He blindly follows his father's saying without analysis or critical thought. The poet describes him moving "in darkness," not just the physical darkness of woods and shade, but the intellectual and spiritual darkness of unexamined beliefs. The neighbor is compared to "an old-stone savage armed," suggesting primitive, defensive thinking. He values clear boundaries and believes that separation creates good relationships. These contrasting views represent the eternal tension between tradition and progress, barriers and openness, and blind faith versus questioning reason. The poem leaves the question unresolved, inviting readers to consider which philosophy creates better human relationships.