The narrator explicitly states that he "let it fall and break," just as Eve let herself break down and eat from the tree of forbidden fruit (line 13). The narrator also notes, "But I was well / Upon my way to sleep before it fell," (line 15). He had already begun to lose consciousness, to succumb to desire and dreaming. Thus the narrator takes full responsibility for his fall, offering a humanistic twist to the traditional Garden of Eden story. Rather than blaming the serpent for the evils of the world the narrator places human beings in a more spiritually powerful position. The narrator remains in full control of his consciousness even as he slips away. He claims that he "could tell / What form my dreaming was about to take," in lines 16 and 17. The two-pointed ladder, his symbolic Satan, swayed but did not itself fall from the tree (line 23).
The poem's first stanza seems to abruptly end, like a dream would. After telling the reader that he could "feel the ladder sway as the boughs bend," the narrator brings himself back to consciousness. He narrowly averted a literal fall from the apple tree and a symbolic fall from grace. His fall also denotes dying because of the precarious position the narrator maintains throughout the duration of the poem. Imagery of death is subtle in "After Apple Picking," and Frost seems to suggest that death is a natural part of life. For instance, the narrator dreams of apples that "appear and disappear," with the ebb and flow of life (line 18). Similarly, the narrator mentions the woodchuck's "long sleep" at the end of the poem not as a euphemism for death as the term "long sleep" is usually used but rather, as a direct reference to winter hibernation (line 41). The reference to hibernation in the last few lines of the poem parallels an earlier mention of the "essence of winter sleep" in line 7. The essence of winter...
When the narrator notes that the essence of winter sleep mimic the "scent of apples," he ties in the imagery denoting desire (line 8).
The narrator remains concerned with what life comes after apple picking. Just as the Biblical story of the Fall signals the beginning of human life as we know it, so too does the narrator's fall signal the beginning of a new life for him. He repeatedly mentions that he has grown tired of apple picking. For example, he states, "I have had too much / Of apple-picking: I am overtired," (line 29). The narrator does not feel a sense of remorse, however. He proudly refers to the "great harvest I myself desired," again taking responsibility for his choices (line 29).
His daydreaming also signals a need for change, which is as natural as the changing of the seasons. Apple harvests usually occur at the end of summer, a time of transition. Autumn and winter, suggest the narrator, are not fearsome. They are the natural products of a successful, rich, and ripe summer. After his daydreaming on the ladder the narrator realizes that his apple-picking did not meet his expectations but he does not harbor any remorse. Frost suggests that desire fuels all human activity and creative enterprise, and even when the endeavor is of "no worth" it has intrinsic value as a personal learning experience.
Unlike the Biblical story of the fall, guilt plays no part in "After Apple Picking." Desire is not the work of the devil, either. Instead, Frost portrays human desire as being a natural and positive instinct. Frost therefore suggests that desire is an integral part of the human condition. Without desire no human being would have the will to eat: a sure recipe for death. Thus, Robert Frost offers an optimistic, romantic, and humanist interpretation…
