Previous

We only learn about the unnamed neighbor from the speaker’s perspective, so we need to be careful when drawing any conclusions about him. For instance, it is the speaker who frames the neighbor as a slightly ridiculous man who repeats clichéd, proverbial wisdom. This isn’t to suggest that the speaker is entirely unreliable. There is no good reason to doubt that the neighbor said the line about good fencing making good neighbors. However, when the neighbor says the line for a second time, it’s the speaker who frames the recitation as evidence of an underdeveloped intellect (lines 43–45):

He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

The speaker attaches this observation to an earlier description of his neighbor as “an old-stone savage” who “moves in darkness” (lines 40 and 41). Thus, the overall portrait of the neighbor is that of a backward bumpkin who mindlessly rehearses the old-fashioned views of his forebears. There can be no doubt that this portrait is excessive, and that it serves mainly to bolster the speaker’s sense of superiority. This man is no savage, and all evidence suggests that he is a kind and respectful person. Even so, it’s probably safe to assume that the neighbor does have a relatively conservative attitude toward tradition.

Previous section Analysis of the Speaker

Take a Study Break