Robert Frost’s poem “Home Burial” relates a drama between an estranged man and his wife. He presents a dramatic poem in the form of a dialogue about a couple that argues, differs with their opinions, and separates at the end. The center of the argument is around the death of their child. The poem is rich in human feelings; it highlights the expression of grief, frustration and anger that the couple shares while trying to deal with the death of their child. The Analysis of the poem will emphasize on the dramatic situation and identify the different elements that formed it such as the form, the tone, the imagery, and the language.
“Home Burial” is a dramatic lyric in the form of a dialogue between two personae. The characters are Amy and her husband. The poem reveals two tragedies: The death of a child and the fall of a marriage. Although the death of the child is the reason why the couple is arguing, the bigger conflict that affects the marriage is the couple’s inability to communicate with one another. Both characters are mourning the loss of their child, but in different manners and neither one is able to understand the way their partner chooses to express their distress.
Robert Frost describes the couple’s situation in a tense manner. He uses imagery and tone to describe the scene and the couple’s feelings. These elements allow the reader to see and feel what Amy and her husband are going through. The setting of the poem is described as a staircase with a door at the bottom and a window at the top.
The first line of the poem shows that the husband is located at the bottom of the stairs, and his wife is staring at the window from the top of the stairs. The wife is so saddened by the death of her child that she is unable to stop grieving. She seems angry with her husband and is not interested in him anymore. Robert Frost writes that her face “changed from terrified to dull” when she saw her husband coming to her (line