Student Question
Who initiates the mending of the wall in "Mending Wall"?
Quick answer:
In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall," the narrator initiates the mending of the wall. The poem begins with the narrator reflecting on how natural forces and hunters cause gaps in the wall. He notes that he informs his neighbor about the need for repairs, and they meet in the spring to mend the wall together, each working on their respective side to restore it.
I am going to assume that this question is referring to the Robert Frost poem "Mending Wall."
The narrator of the poem is the person that initiates the mending of the wall. When the poem begins, the narrator is contemplating the fact that something exists that simply doesn't want walls to exist.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
The speaker then goes on to give two examples of "something" that repeatedly destroys his wall. The first thing is the weather. Alternating freezes and thaws eventually put large gaps in the wall. The second thing is hunters that tear apart the wall, so their dogs can hunt the rabbits.
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs.
The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made or heard them made, But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbour know beyond the hill; And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.