After Apple Picking

“After Apple Picking” seems like a sweet and uplifting poem, but it is nothing near that. In this poem Robert Frost illustrates his own death and what he did not finish before he died. He longed to accomplish lots in his life, but for what he did not finish, he is ashamed for. He was grateful for getting to do the tasks he did in his life, but felt like a failure for what he did not finish and succeed in. The man is depressed and unsatisfied with himself. He does not feel he has lived his life to it’s fullest.

Nighttime is portrayed many times and is a metaphor for death and depression. He has picked apples, but he has not picked them all, therefore he has not accomplished everything he had hoped to. The ice melted; he preceded to let it fall and break, along with the ice, went all of his dreams. His dreams were shattered, and once again he felt like a failure. “But I am done with apple picking now.” Is a sign that his life is done and over with and it ends in a period to make the point stronger. He has failed in his own eyes.

Robert Frost did an excellent job of portraying all of the senses except for one, being taste. The reader can picture him picking the apples, the scent of the apples as he falls asleep, and the feel of the apples as he picked them. The senses are important and most would connect apples with taste before anything else, but he thought different. Sleep was repeated many times, and is symbolized with night, and death. He was unhappy with his accomplishments in life, did not feel like he lived it to the fullest; but what he did not realize, was that he did the best he could.