Women of "North of Boston"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Robert Frost's female characters in poems such as "The Death of the Hired Man," "Home Burial," "A Servant to Servants," "The Housekeeper" and "The Fear" in his compilation "North of Boston" present a complex representation of women. It examines how not only does Frost depict women as they experience and explore such difficult emotions as grief, fear, and despair; his women also serve as advocates of mercy and compassion and figures of courage and strength. It shows through a review of some of the poems, how Frost looks at women in many difficult situations trying to cope with what life has given them and what emerges is a composite picture of both the negative and positive aspects of women that reveals Frost's unusually accurate understanding of the opposite gender.

From the Paper:

"The first female character, Mary from "The Death of the Hired Man," in Frost's book North of Boston serves fundamentally as the voice of mercy. She personifies the very essence of mercy and human compassion. When Silas, an old, virtually useless farmhand, comes to Mary and Warren's home seeking a place to stay, Frost places the "generosity and kindness of Mary"(Walcutt) in opposition to Warren's position advocating justice. Mary argues that they should take Silas in out of the goodness of their hearts, even though he doesn't deserve it, whereas Warren says that Silas is not their responsibility; furthermore, he is not worthy of their hospitality, having taken advantage of it too many times in the past. "

More papers on Women of "North of Boston":

• Persuasive Essay # 144195 : "African American Women: A Tradition of Activism"
• Term Paper # 133202 : "Native Women's Association of Canada v. Canada"
• Book Review # 121726 : "Muslim Women in "Price of Honor"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: