Robert Frost – Home Burial
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Robert Frosts “Home Burial” is a tragic poem which presents an engrossing, intensely empathetic scenario as it deals with the lack of communication between husband and wife on the loss of their first child which is slowly leading to a breakdown of their marriage as they are incapable of sharing their grief. Written in colloquial language and including a variety of emotions from isolation to anger to bitterness, the poem is intensely analyzed narrative that enables the reader to realize the complexities of human nature
In the poem, the staircase provides a backdrop to the scene of emotional frustration. The poem begins with the wife, Amy on top of the stairs, and the husband at the bottom which indicates the emotional gap existing between. “He saw her from the bottom of the stairs, before she saw him.” She was about to go down, but something stopped her and she remained on top and looked out of the window once again. It was the husband who took the first step towards her, indicating his attempt to communicate with her as he enquired what it was she would always look at from the window. On realizing he was there “her face changed from terrified to dull” for she was “sure he wouldnt see.” He pleaded with her to tell him as he is determined to find out. But she remained stubborn and resisted him “with the least stiffening of her neck and silence.”
When the husband went up to the window, for “a while he didnt see” what she saw, but he did finally. She of course wouldnt believe he saw what she did, and challenged him to tell her. But, he claimed it never struck him as he had never noticed it from there before. “I must be wonted to it – thats the reason.” The window looked out to the family graveyard where his ancestors were buried. But the other graves there didnt matter it was “the childs mound” what she was staring at all this while. Here is the first indication that the couple has lost a child, only recently as the childs grave hasnt even been prepared properly, its still fresh.
At the very mention of the child, she cried in agony pleading with him not to go on, showing that she had not yet come to terms with the death of the child. Frost describes her reaction with such great imagery and detail right down to the expression on her face “turned on him with such a daunting look” it gives the reader the impression of being present in the midst of the conflict. The intimidating look was to warn him to not continue, but he persisted asking “Cant a man speak of his own child hes lost?” after all, it was his child too. But she pushed him away saying “Not you!” and wished to leave the house at once. He pleaded with her not to leave and not to “go to someone else this time” and in a gentle tone told her there was something he wished to ask her. She snapped at him, telling him he did not know how to ask it, and in an attempt to reach out to her once again, he replied “Help me, then.”
Just as she was about to leave, he expressed his feelings of inadequacy “My words are nearly always an offense” as every time he had made an attempt to talk to her, she had brushed him off and he in turn felt helpless. He humbled himself and asked her to teach him admitting that he needs to set aside his manly manner and attitude when dealing with a woman, “A man must partly give up being a man with women folk.” He reasoned with her and tried to compromise by keeping off topics that she felt was too sensitive to talk about, despite the fact that he felt such things shouldnt come “twixt those that love.” But once again, she snubbed him and was ready to leave