As with much of Frost's poetry, "Birches" creates a mood of loneliness and isolation. Some factors that contribute to the mood include the winter weather, which seems to cut the speaker off from other people, and the speaker's discussion of the boy growing up on an isolated farm. The speaker's loneliness may be the result of adult concerns and considerations.
Questions About Isolation
- How does the boy's isolation differ from that of the speaker?
- It seems almost as if the woods have become a character in the poem. How have they alleviated the speaker's loneliness?
- Why does the speaker's desire to look into heaven? Is this related to his feelings of isolation?
- What role does isolation play in the setting of this poem?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The speaker's loneliness is the result of the isolating advances of the modern world.
The speaker's desire for heaven is a communion with the natural world, not a desire for isolation.