The self and society in stopping in the woods on a snowy eveningFor the speaker of Robert Frost's poem, "Stopping in the woods on a snowy evening snowy", the weather, the fact that he stops to look at the forest is unusual; his duties and responsibilities do not allow him to linger. Nonetheless, the speaker takes great pleasure in this unexpected pause in his journey. The binary oppositions present in the poem indicate that, regardless of his responsibilities, the speaker would like to stay in the woods and admire the scene that is placed before him. Because it is here in the woods that the speaker feels a sense of individualism; it offers an escape route from the community responsibilities with which it is burdened. However, while the "natural" side of the oppositions within the poem appears to be privileged, the speaker ultimately chooses to put it aside and go about his business. The first binary opposition in the poem involves the juxtaposition between the forest and the village. The speaker recognizes that the owner of the forest lives in the village. But the speaker suggests that the owner "won't see me stopping here" because of his responsibilities in the village (3). Apparently there's no one else nearby either. Clearly the forest is a place of pleasant solitude. As they fill with snow, the woods also become a place of peace. The town, however, is not full of snow, but of people and houses. Although he remains invisible in the poem, he is nevertheless a presence that contrasts with the forest as a scene of duty and obligation. Knowing what the village holds, the speaker wishes to stay in the woods. The speaker, however, is obviously not used to walking away from his responsibilities. The action of the speaker's horse demonstrates this. Like the spe... middle of paper... scene in the woods. In any case, the speaker finds the forest a much more pleasant experience than the demands of the village. Here in the forest he experiences a sense of peace and individualistic self-realization that is missing in the village. However, although his desire to remain in such an environment is strong, the sense of duty and obligation overwhelms him. Regardless of what he personally wants, the speaker decides to fulfill his responsibilities and walk those miles before he sleeps. Thus, in the end, the privileging of the basic binary opposition within the poem between forest and village, self and society, seems to change. At least in the judgment of the speaker's action, duty calls. Works Cited Frost, Robert. "Stop in the woods on a snowy evening." 1923. A handful of poems. Ed. David Madden.Fort Worth, Texas: Harcourt Brace, 1996. 39.