Out, Out by Robert Frost

“Out, Out”

By: Robert Frost

Carelessness in life can cause enjoyable moments to become those of turmoil. In Robert Frost’s “Out, Out”, he tells that a young man, ready to be freed from a day’s work in Vermont’s mountains, rushes along and becomes carless leading to his tragic demise. One has to be cautious in life, being careful not to rush, or they will not see the tragedies or the joys that it has to offer.

Frost begins the poem by describing “the buzz saw” as it “snarled and rattled in the yard”. He tells that this saw made “dust” and “stove-length” sticks of “sweet-scented” wood in the mountain ranges of Vermont. Frost tells that the engine of the saw mill ran “light”, however one could tell if it were to “bear a load” as the engine labored.

Frost explains that the day went accident free as it was “all but done”. He hoped that they would “call it a day”, yet they gave the boy “the half hour”. The boy counted down the minutes until his sister called “supper”, and the saw “proving” that it knew what supper meant “leaped out” at the boy’s hand or so it seemed. Frost explains that the boy must have “given” the saw his hand because neither “refused” the meeting. He tells of how the saw took half of the boy’s hand and the other half was kept to “keep the life from spilling”. Frost describes the boy “saw” all, yet he knew better than to rush because he was a “big boy” and he realized “all was spoiled”.

Frost describes the boy waiting on the doctor as being scared. He explains how the boy pleaded with his sister “Don’t let him cut my hand off-the doctor when he comes. Don’t let them sister”; the hand was already gone. He told of how the doctor put him under the “dark of ether” and he lay there puffing his lips out with his breath. Frost explains the doctor “listened” to his heart. They heard “little-less-nothing” implying they had witnessed the end of the young boy’s life.

Frost concludes the poem by having “no more...