Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry of could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
(i) What do the two roads stand for in the poem?
(ii) What does the expression 'bent in the undergrowth' imply?
Answers
(i)What do the two roads stand for in the poem?
Answer: The two roads in the poem ‘The road Not Taken’ stand for a conflict of interests in which the poet has to make one choice. Here the two roads are symbolic of a real conflicting situation in his life. In America he had failed to become successful as a poet. So he decided to immigrate to England and try his luck there. However, he had his doubts. He was not sure whether he would be successful in England or not. So these roads symbolize conflict of interests. Every person in his/her life has to face similar situations.
(ii) What does the expression 'bent in the undergrowth' imply?
Answer: ‘Bent in the undergrowth’ implies the road on which the poet was walking that day branched off into two directions and disappeared into the tall grass and smaller vegetation. Metaphorically the poet is talking about the uncertainty of life. The road actually is symbolic of life; and the point at which the road branched off into two different directions was the two choices he had to opt for. The first choice was should he stay in America? The second was should he go to England and try his luck as poet there? He was not sure he would be successful there. So this conflicting situation has been compared to the road that bent and disappeared in the undergrowth.