The idea that life evolves from the struggle between man and nature which eventually leads to the growth of man. "Nature exists so far as man is concerned-to be fought against; but not to be destroyed, for that would be the destruction of man himself" (Greiner 209). .
Frost is using the "woods" as a symbol for nature .
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as a whole and thus the struggle between man and nature may be a metaphor for the struggles that occur throughout life. "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" is obviously set in the woods but also on "The darkest evening of the year" which may be a metaphor for a evening or situation that has a particular importance to the narrator. According to William Shurr the "darkest evening" is in fact the idea or pondering of death, which is all leading up to the final stanza. Shurr believes that the first three stanzas are basically trivial filler which leads to the central idea in the last stanza. "Frost's repeated line at the end of the poem, "And miles to go before I sleep," emphasizes his preference for other things, other "promises" he has made to himself, before he is ready to face this Night" (Shurr 10). .
The argument that the poem is actually about death can be tied in with the poems setting in the woods on a dark, cold, snowy evening. These examples of imagery set the tone for the pondering of death. It is fitting that the poem takes place in the woods because of Frost's idea of what woods and nature really represent, struggle, challenge, creation, and death. The narrator in the poem "hears the insistent whisper of death at .
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the heart of life", the "heart of life" obviously meaning the woods. (Greiner 210).
Another of Frost's most famous poems is "The Road Not Taken." This is another poem that setting influences the story. Though the setting is not completely clear at first glance, deeper inspection will find the setting to play an important role in the poem.