Consider both the comedic and tragic aspects (and the potential relation between the two) in Frost’s poem “Mending Wall.”

“The Mending Wall” establishes two very different emotional narratives. On one hand, the irony of the two neighbors’ conflicting opinions on the necessity of the wall can be considered comedic. It appears that the narrator’s neighbor is being overly dramatic in his advocation for the wall, while the narrator is on the polar opposite side of the argument. In this sense it is kind of comedic, and it establishes a character relationship similar to that of Tom and Jerry, or any other duo that are constantly going back and forth with each other. On the other hand, the neighbor’s also being very serious when he is fighting for the necessity of the wall. It brings on a tone of isolationism. Especially in today’s society, where polarization and division has become so prevalent, it is notably tragic to see a character in a poem expressing such relevant emotions/ views.