Theme Analysis Essay

Author’s Note: I decided to analyze a poem for my theme analysis, instead of using a story or a novel, to try and do something out of the ordinary, and different. Like the character in the poem.

Robert Frost has written a lot of wonderful poems, but The Road not Taken is my favorite because of its hidden meaning and theme: Choices and decisions. The poem is about taking the safe path in life or taking the risky one. It talks about how lots of people take the safer road in life, and not many take the opportunities that life gives. Taking the easier path does not always mean taking the path that will make you more successful.

One of the major themes of the poem is making choices and decisions. This is demonstrated by the lines “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood” and “Took the other just as fair, perhaps having the better claim, because it was grassy and wanted wear.” This shows that not many people take a certain path in life, the risky one. This is because they don’t want to regret anything they did. In the poem, the line “I doubted if I should ever come back” represents not being able to turn back around in life once you choose to do something. Once you make your decision, there’s no going back. The diverging road indicates two different choices that you could make.
 
The poem The Road Not Taken reminds me a lot about the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver. In this book, Lena, the main character, debates for a while about whether or not she should try to escape the city she lives in. She finally decides to do it, a very risky plan which almost nobody has attempted. In this way, she is similar to the person in The Road Not Taken because she makes a choice that could get her in trouble sooner or later.
 
Another book The Road not Taken reminds me of is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In this book, Katniss’ sister is chosen at the reaping to be District 12’s female tribute for the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss desperately wants to protect her little sister, so she wants to volunteer for her. But she also knows that her sister would never let her do it. Finally, just as the boy tribute’s name is about to be picked, she runs up to the platform and volunteers, which has not happened in decades. She is similar to the character in The road Not Taken because she makes a choice that not many people make, while knowing that this choice could possibly harm her.
 
The choices and decisions that people make definitely affect their lives in one way or another. The character in The Road not Taken is similar to Lena and Katniss: They are all different, braver than most. The poem shows this with the theme of choice and decisions. About how taking the easier path is not necessarily the better path. It shows that the choices you make will affect your whole life.