FROST’S “THE DEATH OF THE HIRED MAN”
TAGGED AND NUMBERED
SALWA NUGALI*
King Saud Uni e si y, Saudi A abia
No ingham Uni e si y, UK
ABSTRACT
‘Dea h o he Hi ed Man’ is one o F os ’s poems ha had ecei ed a lo
o a en ions om c i ics. The a gumen he e is no o elabo a e on he sig-
ni icance o hese in e p e a ions, bu a he o expose he w i e ’s open in i-
a ions o his eade s o engage, in hei own way, wi h his a . F os ’s demand
ha eade s o all so s be ‘employed’ by his poems is in iguing. I allows
any eade o expe ience he pleasu e o ‘seeing’ and ‘hea ing’ wha o he
eade s ha e no . Making e e y eade a disco e e is F os ’s own concep o
‘play’. In his analysis, he ‘play’ is wi hin he poem’s s uc u e, which is a
loosely s uc u ed s anza o m, con a y o he illusi e blank e se sugges ed
a i s glance by p e ious c i icism. The ques ion o be add essed he e is his:
‘wha o make ou o he a o ‘in e p e a ion’?
KEY WORDS
S uc u e, s anza, Robe F os , mode n ame ican poe y, blank e se.
RESUMEN
‘Dea h o he Hi ed Man’ es un poema de Robe F os que ha ecibido
una impo an e a ención de la c í ica. Es e abajo no a a de discu i la sig-
ni icación de es as in e p e aciones, sino plan ea la in i ación que el au o
hace abie amen e a que sus lec o es se in oluc en, cada cual a su o ma, con
su a e. Resul a in e esan e cómo F os pide que se ‘ocupen’ de sus poemas
odo ipo de lec o es. Es o pe mi e que cualquie lec o expe imen e el place
de ‘ e ’ y ‘oí ’ lo que o os lec o es no han is o ni oído. Con e i a cada
lec o en descub ido cons i uye el concep o que F os iene de ‘juego’. En
es e análisis, el ‘juego’ se encuen a den o de la es uc u a del poema, una
o ma es ó ica lib emen e es uc u ada y no ese iluso io ‘blank e se’ que a
CAUCE, Re is a de Filología y su Didác ica, nº 24, 2001 / págs. 381-387 381
* Salwa Nugali, g adua ed om UW-Madison, 1986, has been wo king since hen
a King Saud Uni e si y, Saudi A abia. A he momen , she is a No ingham Uni e si-
y, UK, esea ching he poe y o Robe F os . He in e es is in in e disciplina y app oach-
es o language analysis especially hose ha combine philosophy wi h ecen language
heo ies.
SALWA NUGALI
382
p ime a is a sugie e la c í ica p e ia. La p egun a que nos plan eamos aquí
es la siguien e: ¿cómo en ende el a e de la ‘in e p e ación’?
PALABRAS CLAVE
Es uc u a, es o a, Robe F os , poesía no eame icana mode na, ‘blank
e se’.
RESUME
‘Dea h o a Hi ed Man’ es le poème de F os qui a da an age e enu
l’a en ion des c i iques. L’a gumen ici n’es pas d’élabo e su la signi ica ion
de leu s in e p é a ions mais d’expose l’in i a ion de l’au eu à ses lec eu s de
s’engage a ec son a . La demande de F os que ses di é en s lec eu s s’en-
gagen dans ses poèmes es in igan e. Ceci pe me à chaque lec eu d’ ‘en en-
d e’ e de ‘ oi ’ ce que d’au es lec eu s n’on pas appe çu. Le concep de
F os de ‘jeu’ es de ai e de chaque lec eu un ‘décou eu ’. Dans ce e analyse
le jeu es dans la s uc u e du poème qui a la o me de s ophe ou e e, con-
ai emen à la ‘blank e se’suggé ée pa d’au es c i iques. La ques ion posée
ici es : commen ai e comp end e l’a de l’in e p é a ion.
MOTS-CLÉ
S uc u e, s ophe, Robe F os , poésie mode ne amé icaine, ‘blank e se’.
Like o he oughly con empo a y Ame ican wo ks, wo ks such as
The Spoon Ri e An hology and Winesbu g Ohio, “The Dea h o he
Hi ed Man” uses a di ec and accessible s yle, oughly echoes he
speech pa e n o i s u al Ame ican se ing, and elaxes o mal s uc-
u al pa e ns.
S uc u e is no absen ; i is me ely elaxed and mu ed. On he le -
el o he lines, a glance e eals a ia ions in leng h –al hough mos
ha e 10 syllables. The e se is ee no only in he measu es o he
lines, bu also in he lack o hyme. To c ea e a musical quali y, F os
explo es a a ie y o echniques. In he i s 2 lines, o example, he
beginning o he lines epea a hy hmic s ess pa e n: “Ma y sa mus-
ing /Wai ing o Wa en,” he alli e a ion s ongly emphasizing he hy hm.
Indeed, in each o hese lines he alli e a ed consonan o he i s hal
is epea ed in he second hal o he line, he consonance c ea ing an
almos Anglo-Saxon e ec . Bu he opening pa e n is no main ained.
Ra he F os uses an asso men o hy hmic echniques: alli e a ion,
s aigh epe i ion, and syn ac ic and s ess hy hms a e wo en h ough-
ou he poem. These echniques a e no used in a consis en ly egu-
la ed pa e n, bu hey do add an elemen o s uc u e o he language.
FROST’S “THE DEATH OF THE HIRED MAN” TAGGED AND NUMBERED
383
Simila ly, he s anzaic pa e n on cu so y inspec ion seems i egu-
la , some blocks appea ing simila in leng h, o he s no . Close inspec-
ion, howe e , leads o he iew ha he pa e ning on his le el, while
no igid, is a mo e closely egula ed han i s appea s, a mo e con-
sis en ly de eloped han he hy hmic pa e n.
The i s indica ion o his pa e ning is ha he opening s anza,
like pi o al cen al s anza VIII, consis s o 10 lines. The second s anza
has an e en 20 lines, bu displays no majo shi a he en h line, a
poin whe e shi would be an icipa ed in a mo e o mal scheme. I we
coun sepa a ely hal lines, which a e w i en on di e en ype, se lines
(an un adi ional coun ing), we ind hi d and ou h s anzas o 10 lines,
which a e ma ked by shi s o oice and con en . The nex wo la ge
blocks, wi h he in e ening single line (“Yes, I ook ca e o keep well
ou o ea sho ”) add oge he o equal an e en 40 –e en hough block
one block is 22 lines, he o he 17 (22 + 1 + 17 = 40). Howe e , he o e -
all leng h shows F os is s ill coun ing by ens o his poin . The 10
coun b eaks wi h he nex 15 lines –s anza VI o eigh lines, s anza
VII o se en, bu he coun is empha ically e u ned o in he impo -
an s anza VIII. Following ha s anza, h ee mo e 10 line uni es a e
ound. A his poin , he uni dissol es o he es o he poem, wi h
uni s o se en o eigh (depending on he way in e ening single lines
a e coun ed) di iding he emaining 30 lines.
A his poin an apology is due o he eade o ying his/he
pa ience wi h he p eceding nume ological nigh ma e. The gene al con-
ou s o he pa e ning, de ini ely a conscious pa e ning by F os , ha e
a signi ican hema ic ele ance. To demons a e ha , an explo a ion o
he heme o he poem a his s age is essen ial.
The s anza e e ed o as pi o al, he middle s anza VIII, is he-
ma ically impo an . The impo ance is unde sco ed by he leng h o
he uni and by he de elopmen o an image pa e n: Ma y and he
ligh . The image is p esen ed he e and a he beginning and close o
he poem, di iding he poem in o wo uni s. In he opening s anza we
ind Ma y musing on he lampligh ; we lea n o Ma y’s cha ac e is ic
imagina i e capabili y, a key quali y o he consciousness (as, o ins ance,
she en e s in o Silas’s wo ld: “I sympa hize. I know how i eels” –S an-
za V), bu he opening lea es he image la gely unde eloped. In he
cen al s anza i is ichly de eloped. No icing he moon ligh on he
lap, Ma y” sp eads he ap on o i , lo ingly no icing some hing only
sub ly subs an ial, demons a ing he same quali y o ine pe cep ion
ha we ha e seen in he app ecia ion o Silas in he p eceding s an-
SALWA NUGALI
384
zas. Silas, old and ill, has e u ned o he a ms ead, and Ma y is
ouched o pi y and kindness by his ulne abili y.
The image is gi en a symbolic con en in he opening o his s an-
za: “a pa o a moon was alling down he wes d agging he whole
sky wi h i o he hills.” The lines p esen some di icul ies. On a li e -
al scenic le el, he se ing moon e eals a pa ch o clouded sky, p o-
g essi ely close o he ho izon; he moon, no a i s ull, is a “pa .”
Bu why “a” moon and no “ he” moon? A cosmic pe spec i e may be
sugges ed, bu om such pe spec i e “wes ” would seem an inapp o-
p ia e di ec ional indic o . Bu ano he le el o signi icance esona es
he lines. Silas is “a” sa elli e abou he a m, a igu e nei he cen al
no a ached, g a i a ing owa ds and cen e ing on he a ms ead. He
oo is se ing: his dea h is abou o be announced. Like he moon, Silas
sheds a ligh , a sub ly subs an ial quali y, which e eals he cha ac e s
on he cen al s age. We will judge hem and hey may judge hem-
sel es by he quali y o hei ac ion in ha ligh . The choices hey make
ha e a chaos p oducing po en ial in ha ega d, and so h ea ens o
pull sown he e y hea ens, like he moon “d agging he whole sky
wi h i .” The o he po en ial o hei ac ion is edemp i e, b inging he
hea es “ o he hills,” and ha esonance o he symbol is ein o ced in
he ollowing lines when Ma y uns he hands “Among ha p-like mo n-
ing glo y s ings” playing he celes ial music o “ ende ness.” The s ings
connec he ga den bed o he house op, s e ching upwa d, bu he
ha p image s e ches e en highe . On his le el, he connec ion o Ma y
and he ligh b ings Ma y almos in ouching dis ance wi h he Vi gin.
The p esen a ion is no wi hou di icul ies, bu he concep his is as
powe ul a use o he ligh image as Tennessee Williams achie es wi h
Blanche’s Lan e n.
The s anza is pi o al in a ew ways. We ha e in he p eceding s an-
zas lea ned o he pas : o he ela ionship o Wa en and Silas (Wa -
en’s beg udging Silas a s eady pay o pocke money, Silas abandon-
ing wa en when pay can be had elsewhe e), o Silas cha ac e (his
emp y p omised in oducing his e u ns, his genuine c a smanship wi h
hay), and o Ma y and Wa en’s ela ionship ( hei mu ual ca e aking:
Wa en emblema ically b ings in g oce ies, Ma y elie ing him o hem
so he may si ; hei abili y o pie ce each o he ’s masks: Ma y aking
Wa en o ask o an eloquen misplaced smile –s anza III), Wa en ak-
ing Ma y o ask o e ading an almos he o ical ques ion: “ Ma y con-
ess/ He said he’d come o di ch he meadow” –S anza IV), and he
p eceding s anzas ha e gi en us he wonde ul glimpse in o Silas’s sum-
FROST’S “THE DEATH OF THE HIRED MAN” TAGGED AND NUMBERED
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me ime, his haymaking wi h Ha old. Following his s anza, he poem
will ocus almos en i ely on p esen ime conside a ions (can Wa en
be shun ed o his b o he ’s ca e? How do we de ine home?).
Be o e his s anza, he cen al p oblem o he poem ha e been p e-
sen ed –can Ma y con ince Wa en o “be kind” o Silas, o compas-
siona ely accep silas’s in usion– bu she has made li le head wayin
ha di ec ion. Wa en’s eac ion o Silas has been domina ed by con-
ac ual obliga ions, hei his o y as employe -hi ed man, and Ma y has
no ye eplaced his wi h a sense o ellowship. We a e no su p ised
when, in S anza X, wa en symbolically snaps a wig and h ows i aside
as he a emp s o h ow Silas’s ca e o a ich man, Silas’s b o he . Bu
his is his las s and, his esis ance has also been snapped, snapped by
he c i ical elemen o s anza VIII: Ma y’s p edic ion o Silas’s dea h. I
Ma y plays hea enly “ha p” o “unhea d… ende ness” o wo k on him,
i is his one ac o mo ali y, made conc e e h ough Silas’s impend-
ing dea h, ha explodes he signi icance o he ask.
Wa en inally mo es om his “gen ly” (?) mocking one, om his
de ini ion o home as con ac ual (“ hey ha e o ake you in”) o a
wa m app ecia ion o Silas: “I can’ hink Si e e hu anyone” (his i s
use o he amilia o m). Ma y mo es him by a guing a pa allel o de -
ini ions o Ch is ian g ace (home is “some hing you somehow ha en’
o dese e”), and by calling on Wa en’s sympa hy o he own pain
(seeing Silas b oken “b oke my hea ”). Ma y’s a e a gumen s anscending
he con ac ual, asse ing ies o c ea u e o c ea u e: “he’s no ing o us,
anymo e/Than was he hound ha came s ange o us.”
And i is a his poin o Wa en’s changing hea ha he s anza
pa e n shi s. His i s line is he al e ed pa e n o he second hal o
he poem is “I can’s hink Si e e hea anyone.” The all-impo an ans-
o ma ion in Wa en is echoed in he s uc u al ans o ma ion, he shi
om he 10 line module o ha se en/eigh in s anza XII.
The second s anza pa e n con inues o go e n he las 30 lines (30:
he coun by en inco po a es he ans o med pa e n). I is a he close
ha we ha e he ine s oke o Silas dea h. Wa en’s ans o ma ion
inally ba es s a kly and pu ely on only Wa en; his decision edeems
him bu has no “p ac ical” e ec on Silas. The dea h, in e ec , eezes
and ames he p e ious decisions. Fo una ely he oppo uni y has been
well used. We e u n o he pa e n o Ma y and he ligh o ind he
moon, he cloud and Ma y in a “dim ow,” he o de ing o hea en and
man esona ing wi h he na u al o de ing o he wo ld.

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386
Indeed, as he se en/eigh line uni s o he close o he poem a e
iden i ied wi h he na u al o de ing o ellowship, he s anzas o se en
and eigh lines be o e he cen al s anza (s anza VI and VII) a e also
domina ed by compassion and app ecia ion. They i nea ly in o he
hema ic pa e ning o he s anza o m.
A close look a s anza VII, howe e , e eals a dis u bing p oblem
wi h he pa hema ic ea men o edemp ion h ough compassion.
Ma y s a es ha “Silas ha es o see a boy he ool o books/ Poo Silas,
so conce ned o o he olk,/and no hing o like backwa d o wi h
p ide…” she appea s mis aken. Fi s , we ha e al eady been con inced
ha in Silas’s and Wa en’s eyes haymaking abili y was Silas’s jus p ide
–a li le hing, could i be a gued? –S ill some hing o “look backwa d
o wi h p ide”. Ma y akes om him his sole sc ap o digni y o achie e
he pi y o “poo Silas”.
He o he misconcep ion is mo e dis u bing. Silas seems like
Ha old. Bu Silas’s ocus on he books is di e en om he “conce ns
o o he olks” ha Ma y imagines. Ha old’s “young collage boy assu -
ance” “piqued” Silas (s anza V). Silas’s sco n o Ha old’s lo e o La in
comes h ough he lines, as does Ha old’s dismissal o u al adi ions
like he hazel di ing od. Ha old and Silas a e in he con on a ion o
Uni e si y/commone ha has been ea ed in li e a u e since Chauce .
Thei wo lds di ec ly challenged each o he , and hey a gued long and
ha d enough o ha e Wa en hide “well ou o ea sho .” Silas emem-
be s a gumen s she should ha e made, no ou o ca ing bu ou o
wounded ego. Silas wan s o gi e Ha old skill wi haymaking o en-
de him “use ul o someone”, o b ing Ha old in o he wo ld o Silas
and Wa en, ou o he wo ld o s udy and aes he ics; i is a wish mo e
om mo i es o domina ion and abso p ion han he me e ca ing ha
Ma y sees.
I his eading is alid, he e a e h ee possible in e p e a ions o
Ma y’s dis o ions. Fi s , he possibili y o las eso , ha F os has los
con ol o his lines: a poe ic “gli ch”. Second, ha Ma y is e ealing he
limi s o he in elligence: his seems unlikely, gi en Ma y’s quick pe -
cep ion in he es o he poem. Thi d, mos oubling, is ha o he
sake o compassion Ma y miscolo s and ec ea es he wo ld: Silas is
imp o ed in po ai u e so ha compassion may be el o him. Is
Ma y’s abili y wi h he non-exis en ha p s ings and he ocus on he
sub le ligh an ex ension o an abili y o p e end, o in e nally colo ,
a he han a e lec ion o a ine sense? Ei he his is a poe ic slip o
FROST’S “THE DEATH OF THE HIRED MAN” TAGGED AND NUMBERED
387
i is a da k unde cu en ha domina es mos o F os ’s poe y. Wi h-
ou mo e o go on, i emains ambiguously a p oblem.
In o he aspec s, howe e , he poem has e ealed a ull and sus-
ained ea men o a majo heme. And, su p isingly, a mu ed and ech-
nically complex s uc u al pa e ning o s anza eme ges, ein o ces and
highligh s he hema ic ma e ial. F os ’s ca e ul line coun ing e lec s a
pains aking le el o c a smanship.
As a closing aside, I would like o poin o am amusing de ail. Wi h
he ype o line coun I ha e done, i is na u al o loca e he cen al
line o he poem. Tha occu s in s anza VI, he cen al VIII s anza being
sligh ly o cen e . The line is su p ising: “and ags and numbe s i o
u u e e e ence.” Did F os an icipa e he g o eling line-coun e , him-
sel conscious o his own “ agging and coun ing o u u e e e ence”?
And did he sha e wi h him a smile?
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