“Out, Out-”
By Robert Frost
The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap—
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh,
As he swung toward them holding up the hand
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all—
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart—
He saw all spoiled. ‘Don’t let him cut my hand off—
The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!’
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright.
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.
This poem is written like a short story, it begins with the setting of a boy cutting wood, rises to when his hand gets caught, and then ends with his death. However, behind the simple plot there is a deeper message about death, and how the world continues when one person leaves. To create these two stories, Robert Frost uses multiple poetic devices including personification, imagery, and other auditory devices. In using all of these aspects, he is able to portray his theme on the ephemerality of life and how its end doesn’t cause the end of other’s life.
The poem begins with the personification of the saw. It “buzzed” and “snarled” making it seem like a large, vicious beast. It then contrasts the saw’s harsh image with a description of the beautiful landscape surrounding it. He uses both visual and olfactory imagery to place the reader in the setting. Continuing the personification of the saw, Frost says the sister told “them” it was dinner. In this way, both her brother and the saw knew. The saw, as if acting upon hearing that it was dinner, is then written to have “leaped out” and cut the boy’s hand. Having written the incident as the saw’s fault instead of a mistake made by the boy gives the reader more pity toward him. Frost has painted the incident not to be an accident that happened during chores, but that a vicious saw purposely attacked the hand of the boy. Later on, Frost uses the word “life” instead of blood to be pouring out of his hand. This places more value on his blood, as it gives the feeling that each drop of blood leaving is taking a month away from him. Through the poetic devices used, Frost is able to change an incident into a more dramatic and meaningful image.
Besides recounting the death of a boy, Frost is also giving an opinion on the value of life. His poem begins as if it is just another day for the boy. Frost has created a setting that is recognizable to most, creating a sense of companionship with the boy. He also describes how the boy’s work generally goes, describing the different amounts of wood the saw must cut and how the boy enjoys having a half hour break. Then, unexpectedly, the saw cuts his hand. The boy asks for his hand to be saved, and in a way he is asking that his life be saved. However, whether due to blood loss or an overdose of anesthetic, the boy dies. Rather than describe the family’s grievance, Frost describes how the family went back to living. He even goes so far as to say “No more to build on there” after the boy dies, as if the death of the body is the death of memory connected him as well.
Frost’s “Out, Out-” has both a poignant story about the death of a boy and a message about how other’s lives will continue after you die. He achieves this through specific wording that allow dual meanings to be placed and connotations that infer his theme. Though shocking to read about amputation, Frost’s poem is also thought provoking on how your own death will impact the world of those you were close to.
