Robert Frost's The Death Of The Hired Man

Love. Passion. Women. Females generally possess a softer heart than males. They are usually depicted as sympathetic humans who care about others no matter their status or esteem. Robert Frost, author of “The Death of the Hired Man,” illustrates Mary’s perception of Silas through dialogue, connotation, and imagery. Mary is sympathetic towards Silas, concerned about him, and thoughtful in their relationship. Mary impacted Silas by overseeing the bad and accepting him at his worst. Traditionally, an author applies certain literary devices to enhance and emphasize the meaning of their literature. Frost uses dialogue to present Mary as sympathetic. Mary is the wife of Warren, Silas’ boss. She was the first to come into contact with Silas. Her encounter with him was bitter and very disturbing to persevere through. She illustrates her sympathy through her conversation with Warren. Frost states on page 149, “He’s worn out. He’s asleep by the stove… A miserable sight and frightening-too…” Mary’s description of Silas is brutal and inflicted spiritual pain on her heart. Also, Frost expressed through Mary, “Surely you wouldn’t grudge the poor old man…” (150). Mary insisted on Warren being sympathetic towards Silas, but he resisted.

She worried about Silas’ condition as said on page 152, “Warren, he has come home to die. You needn’t be afraid he’ll leave you this time.” Mary was perceiving Silas as being too ill to disappoint Warren again. Her concernment was focused on his health. “No, but he hurt my heart the way he lay and rolled his old head on that sharp-edged chair back… You must go in and see what you can do” (155). Frost’s statement above infers that Mary longed for Warren to check on Silas. She demanded him to analyze Silas’ body’s condition. Her concernment showed passion for his healing