Interpretation of "Design"

List of Images

-“dimpled spider, fat, and white”

-“white heal-all” flower

-“white piece of rigid satin cloth”

-“death and Blight”

-“ingredients of a witches’ broth”

-“dead wings carried like a paper kite”

-night

-survival

-innocence

-darkness

-life

-death

            Is life and its’ future set in stone; should we believe in destiny? Many people today believe in fate and entrust themselves to horoscopes and psychics. In “Design” the poem describes an image of life and death as a spider has caught its meal, a harmless moth. In this poem, Robert Frost illustrates the idea of life being a design by utilizing the image of survival as the predator overpowers the victim.

            Everything that happens in the poem appears as though it was created so that the spider will eat the moth. In the poem Frost describes the spider as “dimpled spider, fat, and white” and the moth, “white piece of rigid satin cloth”. These juxtaposing images of light and darkness set the idea of a battlefield. The writer portrays the spider as being fat while the moth is described as fragile and innocent by comparing it to something soft and smooth as satin. Frost continues by stating, “And dead wings carried like a paper kite”. The image of innocence remains by the poet using a simile to compare the dead moth’s wings to something light as a kite. By doing this comparison, the moth appears weak by nature as it cannot change its physic and therefore inferior to the spiders strong legs. The “white heal-all” flower adds to this scheme of design as it helps lure the innocent moth into its doom. The poet illustrates this as he questions almost sarcastically, “What had that flower to do with being white, The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?” It is ironic how the flower appearing almost harmless and blissful was what trapped the moth. Its pleasurable appearance of white and blue colors drew the moth in. Even the name of the flower portrays it as inoffensive. Furthermore, the spider can be seen as harmless as its color is a pure white color. Life appears has been planned and set so the predator will beat its prey. The spider did not force the moth to come as it came willingly with the attraction of the flower. Also how did the spider predict the moth would fly there unless it was designed to?