Character Development The Death of the Hired Man
Robert Frost’s Poem Shows How Blank Verse Can be Effective
Jul 20, 2009
A previous article provided an overview of “The Death of the Hired Man,” Robert Frost’s blank verse poem first published in 1914. It tells a story of a farm couple, Warren and Mary, who must deal with the unexpected re-appearance of a former hired farm hand, Silas.
Frost Develops Mary’s Character in “The Death of the Hired Man”
Mary’s character is shown us from the first line. Although the day has been busy—busy enough that she and her husband had to go their separate ways to get everything done, with Warren returning from the market at or after dark, Mary just waits at the table, being close to Silas should he wake up, but not occupied with end-of-day tasks such that she might miss the sound of Warren’s approach. She does not dare miss Warren at the door, and prepare him for what he will find in the kitchen.
Mary is a mixture of kindness, firmness, and resolve. She advises her husband to “Be kind” then “you mustn’t laugh at him” and then “Go look. See for yourself.” Yet she only does this after she has softened Warren’s hard crust. She is concerned that Warren will hurt Silas’ feelings. She dragged Silas into the house, gave him tea, tried to make him smoke, urges him to talk about his situation. She is comforting to the wayward worker. And his sorry condition “hurt [her] heart the way he lay/ And rolled his old head on that sharp-edged chair-back.”
Yet, she is firm and resolved. Before Warren ever gets home and gives her consent, she has fed and entertained Silas, and made up a bed for him. She seems fairly certain that she can convince Warren that Silas must stay. Yet, she also trusts her man. While he has that crust she must break through, she allows him time alone with Silas and seems sure that Warren will do the right and charitable thing.
Warren’s Character Contrasts with Mary’s in “The Death of the Hired Man”
Warren returns from the market, probably at late twilight, expecting to find dinner on the table, and instead finds the next-to-worthless Silas returned, in the dead of winter, at a time when farm hands are not really needed. He hears that Silas plans to “ditch the meadow” this time, something that apparently has come between them before.
Warren sees himself as a kind man. He has put up with Silas in times past, perhaps for several seasons. The words imply several cycles of hiring, leaving for better wages or for whatever, return in the off-season, and re-hiring. Warren, rather than interfere when Silas argued the value of education with the young farm hand working a summer while in college, stayed “well out of earshot” and let them argue. He has been kind.
Yet he is cynical. He smiled at Mary’s description of Silas as “a miserable sight,” drawing from her a mild rebuke. Will Silas really work this time? Mary describes his condition as poor, and thinks he might be past his working days. Warren disputes that sight unseen. If Silas is to stay with them he is to work for his keep. Warren is not uncharitable; he just believes Silas' brother, whom he thinks is well-to-do, should be the one to provide care.
Silas, the Unreliable Hired Man
Although Silas never speaks in this poem, much is revealed about him. He has a disdain for learning. He has trouble staying with a job when he thinks he can make more money elsewhere. He takes advantage of peak labor times to sell himself to the highest bidder. He makes promises he cannot keep, such as “ditching the meadow.”
This is a curious phrase. What does it mean? Is the meadow poorly drained and in need of having some ditches cut—hard, backbreaking labor? If so, it appears Silas abandoned Warren and Mary when they needed him most. Or is this some kind of useless task that Silas thought needed doing but which Warren had no intention of paying for? Either way, although it is a point of contention between the farm couple and the laborer, the fact that Silas is fixated on it declares his stubbornness.
Conflict Handled Through Words and Actions, not Telling
The conflict between Warren and Mary reaches a peak when Mary says, “he has come home to die,” and Warren says, “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Mary seems to bristle at this and gives a sharp reply: “I should have called it/ Something you somehow haven’t to deserve.” What does this mean? Is it a generic description of home, that no one has to do something to deserve what should be theirs?
Or is she saying that Warren is not deserving of the home he has, a stronger statement? The conflict is sharp enough that Warren leaves the front steps and does something meaningless: he walks a few feet, picks up a small stick, brings it back to the steps, breaks it, and throws the parts away. He seems to be doing something physical as a means of breaking the tension with his wife.
The poem ends with the three main characters well developed, mostly through dialog but also through a minimum of actions. Much can be learned about them in these few lines excellently crafted.
See also Effective Blank Verse in "The Death of the Hired Man"
 |
