Mending+Wall+Narrative+YJ+(Jenny)+J.


 * Note: Sorry for posting this late. I didn't know that we had to post this until now because I was late to class this morning.

The speaker and the neighbor are both attracted to each other and wish to know about each other more. As they are not very open with each other yet, they have an emotional wall between the two to block any interference from another. The speaker, however, wants to break down the wall and open up with the neighbor.

As days and months pass away, the two collide in incidents that open them up teeny bit by bit; they begin to form a relationship by sharing short stories or taking glimpses of each other’s personalities. These spurts of friendship are figuratively referred to as signs that break the wall down, and these small daily meetings bring the two close and closer together. However, just when the wall is about to be demolished and the two become entirely exposed to one another, the neighbor feels insecure for some reason, and is afraid to show his or her whole self to the speaker. Therefore, the neighbor avoids talking with the speaker, using the common adage (and excuse), “good fences make good neighbors.” (in this case, the neighbor means that friends are best kept when a certain degree of wall exists between the two for privacy). Although the speaker tries to persuade the neighbor into destroying the wall, telling the neighbor that he or she won’t make the neighbor feel at loss or hurt (w/the example about the pine tree and apple tree), the neighbor still insists on rebuilding the wall between them. The speaker feels that the neighbor is being too conservative and protective, following his or her “father’s” words, and reluctantly begins reconstructing.