Robert Frost’s poem The Vantage Point tells of a man who is lost in the world of people so seeks refuge in nature. A vantage point is a viewpoint from which someone is able to see a wide range of things. The vantage point in the poem is where the man goes to watch the human world while remaining separate from it. Robert Frost could relate to the man in the poem as he spent most of his life as an outcast living apart from everyone else. Since Robert Frost failed as a poet and most of other things he tried in life, he was set apart from society and found himself and comfort in nature.
Robert Frost portrayed his love for nature and separation from society in his poem, The Vantage Point. In the octave when the narrator goes back to “ mankind” he just looks at the houses and graves. For Frost being part of the world was just observing society from the outskirts. His separation from society may have been a result of continuously being rejected. In the sestet when Frost is in the world of nature he seems to be more connected with it. He sees the details and is involved in them. These descriptions imply not only observation but a relationship (Maxson, 32). Robert Frost was influenced by Henry Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, which explains his high regard for nature (Fagan, 346). Since Frost saw nature as an equal not below him he was able to find comfort in its many gorgeous aspects.
The Vantage Point’s has lots of details about nature and describing the surroundings of the man. Reading about the nature in the poem is almost like seeing a photograph of it. This amazing illustration of nature is something for which Robert Frost is recognized and something he does in man of his poems (Lowell, 193). In addition, the Vantage Point is an Italian sonnet. It has a typical Italian sonnet rhyme scheme in the octave but the sestet rhyme scheme differs from its usual structure (Maxson, 32). This seems to imply that when Frost approaches mankind and tries to fit in he is stuck into a mold and has to follow the rules. Once in nature and truly at ease frost seems to relax and does his own thing with the sestet rhyme scheme. Through the writing of the poem Frost is able to portray his feelings in a beautiful way.
Robert Frost’s writing is not only beautiful but also very personal. His life was filled with sad occurrences, continuous failure and rejection. The Vantage Point certainly reflects the rejection part of his life. The theme of the poem is finding comfort. Although Frost is not accepted in society and cannot be comforted there, he finds comfort in his special hideaway. This place to him is somewhere he can go, just relax and be his true self. The poem’s theme of finding comfort is shown in the descriptions of the scenes. The description of Frost’s place is a lot more detailed and colorful than the descriptions of the houses and graves. There is a certain level of comfort that Frost can see details in nature down to the tin crater of the ant. But when looking at the human world frost only sees the outside of the houses and graves not inside them. Frost seems to be sending the message that even though he couldn’t find comfort and acceptance in man’s world he found it somewhere else and that is what matters.
The Vantage Point is truly about nature and the comfort it can give to people. Robert Frost gives this message to the reader through is word choice and rhyme scheme. The Vantage Point shows how someone can be detached from the world of people and be so comfortable around nature.
