Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost?
I was wondering how the Robert Frost poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening relates to self discovery or conveys the theme? Does the persona learn anything about themselves?
Here’s the poem:
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
THANK YOU 
Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets, and this was my first poem of his that I read as a child.
What I love is how the character’s voice changes throughout this poem. At first, it is rather romantic, contemplating the beauty of the woods and the snow, but by the end of the poem, the character is reminded of his/her responsibilities and continues on his/her journey. The repetition of the last line has always sounded to me like a person trying to push themselves onward. Sort of like, almost there, a mantra of sorts.
the promises that he/she has to keep indicates that there is some sort of obligation or responsibility that is nagging at the character. The character chooses between responsibility and personal desire.
The woods represent the unknown, the mysterious and the irrational. They are different from society and the world that the character lives in, and helps the reader to understand the choice that is being made. the character wants to slip into a dream world, a wonderland but for a moment.
The fact that this is the winter solstice has a lot of significance, as the winter solstice is longest night. There is nothing guiding the character, who is now acting on his/her own. The character realizes that he/she must return home, as the isolation of the woods is not something of which humans are meant to partake.
Check out this site for a more in depth analysis
http://www.brighthub.com/arts/books/articles/67181.aspx
ENJOY!