his argument by sharing his open-line conviction with his neighbour: Something there is that doesnt love a wall, adding for emphasis, That wants it down. He hopes his neighbour will see that this is why they have to meet every spring to wear their fingers out repairing this unnecessary barrier.After his plea, he senses failure. Perhaps his neighbours attitude or impassive response makes Frost feel that he has to go further. It occurs to him briefly that this man might be persuaded by more superstitious argument. Should he suggest that elves are constantly eroding the wall? But he doesnt proceed on this new track. He knows that the force that wants the wall down is not from some childrens story. It is something much more profound. Besides he wants the man to start thinking about the phenomenon of the wall mysteriously crumbling. If the man suggested elves himself, that would at least be a start to questioning and appraising the game they are playing.Frost attempts to talk to his neighbour out of the wall fail. Before the man even answers Frosts arguments, Frost gives a picture of him doing his work. This man who insist on having a wall that has no clear function is seen as a product of a long-gone age: an old-stone savage. He is like a savage from whose times, when, it seems, it was essential to wall yourself off from other savages for safety and protection. There is a lot of shade around from the woods and the trees. But this not the only darkness the man is walking in. it is the darkness f the past. He has not moved into a more civilised, enlightened age when, Frost believes, you dont need to wall yourself off from other people. The picture Frost draws of his neighbour finally has a touch of mockery in it. How can this man be so narrow-minded and silly? But the predominant tone is one of pity for people who thoughtlessly create barriers between themselves and others.The final lines show the hopeless quest Frost embarked upon. Deaf to ...
