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Introduction
The poem Mending Wall by Robert Frost portrays two contrasting ideas that are presented through the conversation between two neighbors. The whole poem is based on the mending of a wall that divides the land of the poet and his neighbor. In the poem Frost uses the wall as a symbol and so the wall has relevance in the lives of the humans too. The poet represents the new and broad way of thinking while his neighbor maintains an outdated and narrow concept.
The conflict of the two neighbors has some invisible reasons. Basically it symbolizes the conflict between the preserver and the preserved. When Poets neighbor believes that good fences are essential for making good relations, the poet is skeptic about the maintaining of such a wall and he doubts whether it is the walling in or walling out (34) that he should uphold.
Mending Wall and Real Estate Differences
Carol Muskes poem, Real Estate deals with the senselessness of human life in going beyond luxuries. The poet sarcastically comments that it is impossible for one to carry to his tomb the necessary articles like sofa, a couple of floor lamps, alarm etc. The first line of the poem- You think you earned this space on earth (1)- is suggestive of the underlying message in it. The poem begins by stating the present state of man who is under the wrong impression that the complete space on earth is under his possession.
The real estate owned by him and his family becomes useless after their death and his claim of ownership is proved to be ineffectual and he does not realize the reality that Time is never old, /never lies (13-14). The poem, Mending Wall is highly symbolical with regard to the current struggles for political and geographical boundaries. The wall is a symbol of the generation gap. Poets neighbor represents the old and savage man and as the narrator describes: I see him there/ Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top/
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed (39-41). The neighbor demands personal privacy whereas the poet can be considered to be an exponent of civilized world that demands cultural reunion. The darkness in the concluding part of the poem has a metaphorical allusion which really speaks of ignorance and his reluctance to come out and be exposed to light. The narrator thinks about the necessity of the wall but the neighbor only speaks about the making of the wall.
Frank Lentricchia makes it clear when he rightly remarks: For those still tempted to read Mending Wall as political allegory (the narrator standing for a broad-minded liberal internationalism, the thick-headed second speaker representing a selfish super-patriot) they must first face the line I let my neighbor know beyond the hill. Mending Wall has nothing to do with one-world political ideals, with good or bad neighbor policies: on this point the title of the poem is helpful. (Lentricchia). The poet knows that the relation between him and his neighbor is good, so he thinks that the wall is unnecessary.
His confirmation is clear in the first line of the poem that tells: Something there is that doesnt love a wall. (1) The wall also symbolizes the selfishness of modern man. It is visible that the current world is more conscious about their boundaries.
There is a wall already formed in the mind of the people. The narrator of the poem wants the readers to grasp that there is an essential wall that separates people and puts barriers among them; the poem echoes that there needs to be better communication and cooperation among people. He feels that something is created with the formation of the wall and he joins with the opinion of his neighbor, that Good fences make good neighbors (27). The wall is the symbol of barrier between people in terms of their social, religious, economical, and psychological differences.
Mending Wall and Real Estate Similarities
Carol Muskes poem, Real Estate, has been written in a highly symbolical style which, to an extent, conveys the same theme as Mending Wall by Robert Frost. In the first line of the poem the poet speaks of the futility of human life on earth. The poet resorts to the story of a pharaoh who lies dead in his grave with a golden face and he uses it as a weapon to satirize modern man who is going beyond material concerns.
He sympathizes with them for not realizing the senselessness of life. When his neighbor feels the necessity of making a wall, that separates the two houses- the poets and the neighbors- the poet regards it as just another kind of out-door game (21). The mending of the wall is capable of creating a feeling of security in the poets neighbor; however, the poet lacks the necessity of it and feels what he has to reveal is the wall that is concealed.
Similarly, in Real Estate, the poet does not like to advocate wealth and such types of material obsessions. The image of Pharaoh is a symbol in the poem Real Estate. He wishes fame, respect, consideration and his own selfish dignity. The real nature of the modern man is clearly portrayed through the image of the pharaoh. He wants to make a barrier between himself and others. Both the neighbor in Frosts poem Mending Wall and the Pharaoh in Real Estate are the representatives of people who wish self possession and dignity.
Conclusion
Even though there are certain similarities between the two poems Mending Wall and Real Estate, some major differences are also to be taken into account. These differences sometimes bring humor in the poem and the words of Bruce Mayer makes it clear when he says: The differences between the two men, articulated in the act of possessing a wall and maintaining it for the sake of neighborliness, are a source of humor in the poem. (Meyer).
In the middle of the poem, poets neighbor says that good fences make good friends. In these words poet also admits the reality that the wall is useful for man. But in Real Estate, the poet remembers that nothing of the material properties, such as wealth, power is immortal in this world and that everything is perishable.
In Frosts mending wall , it is the poets neighbor who demands the wall.In his view, during the time of annual repairing of the wall, both the poet and his neighbor will get the opportunity to spend time together and it would help them for enforcing their relationship: Stay where you are until our backs are turned!/ We wear our fingers rough with handling them. (19-20)They can build their friendship and strengthen their communication. In Mending Wall, the wall is not only a separator; it also acts as an obstacle of the neighbors friendship that really separates them.
The following line of the poem Real Estate - Who knows what it costs? - (19), reminds us of the futility of having possessions as our own. Everything is subjected to death and decay and the poet stresses the need for broad vision. The poet has a sarcastic attitude towards the style of living of the people who always wish to be selfish.
To conclude, it is inferred that these two poems have comparisons as well as contrasts. The symbolisms used in both the poems are to an extent alike. Frosts poem, Mending Wall brings out the imagery of the wall which symbolizes personal barriers that exist among human beings. Through the imagery of a pharaoh, Carol Muske, in her poem Real Estate, brings the symbolism of a selfish world. These two poems do not contrast much in theme. Frost does not oppose the prospect of making the wall, when he realizes the fact that it is useful for maintaining security, possession etc. But Carol Muskes poem contradicts the idea of security and possession and signifies that nothing should be selfish and that barriers should give way to cooperation and unity.
Works cited
Lentricchia, Frank. On Mending Wall Modern American Poetry, the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1997. Web.
Frost, Robert. Mending Wall, line-1. 2007. Web.
Meyer, Bruce. Mending Wall (Criticism). Answers Corporation. 2006. Web.
Frost, Robert. Mending Wall.
Muske, Carol. Real Estate.
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