A Note on Robert Frost’s Poem “BLUEBERRIES”

 

Children picking berries

                            

Clusters of blueberries

                      

                           

Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963)

This poem was written by Frost in 1912 and published in “North of Boston” in 1914. Robert Frost describes the interaction between two persons who passed by a pasture owned by Mortenson. They were surprised to see blueberry bushes with a luxuriant growth of ripe blue berries “as big as the end of your thumb”, “real sky-blue and heavy” which make a drumming sound when they are collected in a pail. “And presto they’re up all around you” convey the speed and dense growth of the blueberry bushes. The second speaker enquired where he had seen the bushes. The first speaker describes how the whole woods there were cut off two years ago and the whole area was burnt down by fire. The second speaker spoke about the magical growth of blueberries where no shady pines or a blade of grass was not left to grow on the burnt land. The first speaker speculates that the blueberries might have grown drawing nourishment from the soot or charcoal of the burnt pasture. He felt the taste of soot in them and also attributes their ebony colour to the burnt soot of the burnt pasture. The blue film seen on them is like thin mist or tanned colour of fruit-gatherers and it goes away by the mere touch of a hand.

 The second speaker then refers to Mortenson who owns that pasture. The owner of that place does not seem to care about these berries and feigns that he has no knowledge about the growth of blueberries in his land just to hide this fact from others. The second speaker asks whether he has seen Loren and his large family. The first speaker replies that Loren’s shrewd countenance seems to say that he had left a patch of land with many berries as if by mistake “to ripen too long” which may be taken away by other intruders. The second speaker remarks that Loren is a very thrifty person. The first speaker replies that he has to be thrifty as he has to feed so many children mainly on berries throughout the year. “He has brought them all up on wild berries, they say like birds.” They also store many berries and sell them at the shop to buy their necessities. Frost portrays here the hardships faced by poor farmers in his area.

The second speaker remarks “It’s a nice way to live/Just taking what Nature is willing to give” without exploiting her resources with plough and harrow. Frost hints at the exploitation  of Nature by  man  who destroys natural surroundings to satisfy his overambitious greed.

 The first speaker comments on the subtle behaviour of Loren’s children. They seem to be unconcerned and solemn though they knew about every place where the berries grew on hills and marshy ground.  The first speaker describes the pretentious and greedy nature of Morton by describing his meeting with him. Once he went to meet Loren and asked him to tell if any fruit was there for picking. Loren in a polite way answered that there were no berries found and cunningly enquired his wife whether any berries were seen for plucking.

 The first speaker continues that Loren thinks that “all the fruit that grows wild is for him.” Now they can avail the chance of picking berries which escaped the notice of greedy Loren. They would pick berries the next morning when the sun shines warm on the wet vines. The first speaker recollects the past memories of picking berries in stealth like mischievous goblins hiding in the underground. They used to go round picking berries. When one thought that he missed his friend, he heard his friend saying that they had stood near the bird’s nest and hence the bird was seen flying around them as if in a complaining tone.  While picking berries when his friend went far away, he used to shout thinking that his friend had lost his way. But actually his friend was seen standing quite nearby. Then both of them reflected that they would miss happy moments of picking berries if Loren’s children found out that place. They might come tomorrow or even tonight. Loren's children look at others as if others have no right to come there and pick berries. But the speakers think that after looking at such ripe berries covered with shining leaves glistening like two kinds of jewels, none would complain. Anyone would be tempted to pick those berries. “The fruit mixed with water in layers of leaves/Like two kinds of jewels, a vision for thieves.” 

Thus, the speakers recollect their happy experience and also on the urgency of enjoying picking blueberries again, a rich tempting treasure to all, especially to Loren’s children who survive on wild berries. In this poem Frost describes not only the beautiful view of blueberries but also the condition of poor people like Loren who are forced to be selfish and pretentious in order to survive. The poet also contrasts Nature’s kind and liberal spirit with man’s selfish and greedy attitude who wants to rob nature using his brute force and power. Frost captures the regional idiom and conversational style of New England region set to loose, flowing verse. In this dramatic lyric the poet uses a rhyming couplet structure with irregular length of stanzas; the use of quotation marks and use of first person suggest the sense of two people chatting. This dramatic lyric also re-creates the pleasures of picking wild fruit listening to birdsong in fine weather. This poem also show's Frost's creative skills, verbal facility, his sense of keen observation and description of  minute details of Nature in a sensuous manner as well as dramatic expressions of characters also. According to Michael Dana Gioia, an American poet and critic,"  Frost’s dramatic narratives are more concise, realistic, understated, and dialectical than any available model. Their combination of minimalist narration and direct dialogue with authorial neutrality is something tangibly new in narrative."

 Frost in early 1900's supported his family on a small farm in New Hampshire growing apples and raising poultry. Frost as a naturalist is widely acknowledged. According to his biographer, Jay Parini,  an American critic and writer, "few poets in the English language have been so specific in their knowledge of plants or flowers, or find filled poetry with so much flora and fauna".  Both humanists and scientists are drawn to Frost's poetry for its blend of artistry and accuracy.

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            15th May , 2021                                   Somaseshu Gutala