"Desert Places" Explication

The title of the poem "Desert Places" has a double meaning that could refer to a physical location or a mental state of mind. A desert is lifeless and desolate because it lacks the necessary resources to sustains life. Also, the word places seems empty because it is not a specific setting and remains nameless and intangible. Frost's description of the land symbolizes his depression. The snow, which causes discomfort from the coldness, means that it is winter when everything dies. Also, the night is when people feel alone because they cannot see anything in the darkness. Both the snow and night are falling fast, which creates a sense of helplessness and lack of control. The snow makes everything the same by hiding individual identities. It almost covers the ground because Frost is still living, even though he is depressed. There are only weeds left, which are unwanted and kill other plants, and the stubble could be small plant growths but also a man's facial hair. When people are depressed, they no longer care about their appearance or take care of their health, so a man will grow stubble. The animals are smothered, which puts out life by suffocating them. They are lonely because they are hidden alone in their lairs, so no one will notice when they are gone. Similarly, Frost is consumed by loneliness, so he uses absent-spirited instead of absent-minded, which shows that he has no lively and joyful spirit left in him. The loneliness includes him because he is not the only person in the wold who feels depressed. In addition, Frost describes a blanker whiteness to emphasize the utter emptiness. Benighted makes the snow seem passive, so it cannot help being overtaken by darkness, like his mind. There no expression on his outside appearance, while he also has nothing to express from inside of him. He uses the word scare because it seems simple, which shows his lack of feeling due to his depression. It is already scary to think of the vast emptiness of outer space where humans do not exist, but it is even scarier to think that the loneliness has invaded his home, which should be a place of safety, warmth, and comfort.