Question

Mending Wall" and "The Death of the Hired Man by Robert Frost." 1. Lines 1–4: Explain two possible opposing interpretations for these lines and tell which one you support.

Answer 1

Question Clarification:

Found the question on the internet and the opposing interpretations are only required for the poem "Mending Wall" as the other poem does not have any opposing interpretation and provides a plain narrative.

Explanation:

Concerned lines from the poem "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost

"Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,

That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it

And spills the upper boulders in the sun,

And makes gaps even two can pass abreast."

One interpretation is the literal force of nature that shatters and shakes everything in its wake and hence, gradually damages the wall every year. The nature can be taken as the enemy of the wall.

The other interpretation is metaphorical, where the wall is the connection between the speaker and his neighbour and the distance gradually weakens this connection. So they must mend it repeatedly to keep it strong. I prefer this interpretation over the first one.