Thesis: The Road Not Taken encompasses both the microcosm and macrocosm of human existence and experience.
By examining Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” we get a deeper understanding of the theme, mood and tone of the poem. Before delving into the thick of the explication, one must remember that this is one particular interpretation of the poem, one which may border on the original intent of the poet or altogether veer away from it. Nonetheless, “The Road Not Taken” encompasses both the microcosm and macrocosm of human existence and experience. The literal scene and situation is a traveler in a “yellow wood” who comes upon “two roads diverged.” The speaker views each of the paths and decides that each is “just as fair” and “the passing there/Had worn them really about the same.” The speaker decides to keep one path for another day, though “knowing how way leads on to way/…doubted if…[he]…should ever come back.” As he starts down one path the speaker postulates he shall one day tell the story with a “sigh” as he recalls taking the road “less traveled by” which “has made all the difference.”
Of course, the two roads are symbols in this poem. They symbolize the different choices and paths we might take in our own lives. The speaker has taken the one that is the less traveled and that has made all the difference in his life. However, we can only speculate if this choice means the speaker chose a lover, a hobby or a career (Frost took the career road less traveled by becoming a poet) or one or none of these. Yet, the symbols are meant to go deeper. They are meant to symbolize how every choice we make in life necessarily precludes us making a different choice, a main tenet of existentialism. No matter even if the “less traveled” choice makes “all the difference” in our lives, we might, upon looking back, sigh as the speaker does in our curiosity over what might have be...