The color gold represents the end of l!.

             ife, whereas green represents new life. The poem also illustrates the loss of innocence. As the seasons change, life progresses and innocence can no longer be sustained. Autumn represents death. The changes in the color of the leaves are often viewed as beautiful even though it marks the end of a season. The end to human life creates overwhelming feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Death, for some people, is a taboo subject. People are not overly comfortable discussing death because of the emotions evoked. Yet, Frost has the ability to create an awareness of the subject by using the beauty of nature as a filter. Frost's darker side is also prevalent through the imagery of many of his poems. For example, the title of the poem "Desert Places", stimulates images of loneliness, feelings of abandonment, and a general sense of isolation. The word "desert" is often associated with harsh living conditions and a place devoid of life. The word 'it', in "The woods around it have it-it i!.

             s theirs" (5), refers to the field and suggests that the field is just there. The animals are absent too - "smothered in their lairs" (6). The speaker is "too absent-spirited" (7) to matter. Thus, without the care of man and without the animals the field is deserted, desolated, and lonely. The closing line "To scare myself with my own desert places" (16), examines the manner in which people often fail to get in contact with aspects of their personalities which are undesirable or difficult to admit. For example, the constant struggle between one's inner feelings and the accepted social norms. "Desert places" also suggests that people have darkness within themselves. The absence of a meaningful self or lack of self-esteem may create feelings of isolation. "Stopping by Woods on a Snow evening", also illustrates a dark complexity to Frost's works. The poem captures images of loneliness and indecisiveness by selective word choice.