In Robert Frost's poem "Mending Walls," two possible allusions to the story of Sisyphus are:
-
Boulders and actions that must be performed again and again: The act of mending the wall can be seen as a Sisyphean task, where both the speaker and his neighbor repeatedly engage in the effort of repairing the wall that gets damaged each year, similar to Sisyphus's eternal struggle to push his boulder uphill only for it to roll back down.
-
Frozen ground and elves in the woods: This line can symbolize the absurdity and the cyclical nature of the tasks they perform, much like Sisyphus's endless toil. The imagery of nature responding with obstacles reflects a sense of futility in both endeavors.
These interpretations highlight the repetitive and potentially pointless nature of the work being done, echoing the story of Sisyphus.