Having been written in 1914 by Robert Frost, this poem revolves around two neighbors who repair a fence between their estates (Goodman, 2011). The situation presented is actually a metaphor for the association between the two individuals. The wall is a representation of an emotional barrier dividing them. Notably, the 'I' persona is the virtuous, good person while the 'neighbor' is the dark-spirited one. This is confirmed when the poet says that, " He is all pine and I am apple orchard " (Goodman, 2011). Pine is inherently dark while apple trees tend to have white, beautiful flowers.
Another hidden meaning to the poem is that people need to strive to get along. The persona cites that, " Good fences make good neighbors ", and urges the neighbor to critically look at their situation (Goodman, 2011). Every time a person builds a wall around them to keep others away, it becomes detrimental to their health. This is evident when the persona says that, " We wear our fingers rough with handling them " (Goodman, 2011). Clearly, the poem emphasizes on the significance of not creating interpersonal barriers, especially on the basis of tradition.
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The irony within the meeting in ' Mending Wall ' is situational, and can be observed in the act of establishing barriers between individuals (Goodman, 2011). In this poem, two people are forced to repair a wall along their property line, every year. When the wall breaks, the persona is ready to simply let the wall be done for good. His neighbor, however, insists on mending it every time. Ironically, what is built to divide people functions as a way of keeping things cordial (Goodman, 2011). It identifies what belongs to whom. Furthermore, chances of conflict are minimised between the two because of the existence of the wall.
Reference
Goodman, R. (2011). The soul of creative writing . New York: Transaction Publishers.
