DeSiGN

The poem “Design” by Robert Frost illustrates a spider preying on a moth, which had the misfortune of being entangled in the spider’s web. This occurrence was made possible by the use of camouflage on a heal all. Frost describes all three beings--the spider, the flower, and the moth--as appearing white. Usually, the color white symbolizes purity, beauty, and innocence. However, the use of the color white in this poem was used to assist a spider in killing a moth.
Seeing how the poem is titled “Design,” I believe that Frost wanted to express how everything in life is interconnected through a physical trait. The white heal all for example, was an innocent bystander of the trapping and killing of the moth, It had no part what-so-ever in the actual killing of the moth, nor did it have a choice, but because the plant was conveniently white, it became a pon in the spider’s plot to trap its food. This tainted the flower and made it the spider’s accomplice and therefore “guilty by association.”
The moth was also the color white and most likely intended to use the heal all as a safe resting place against its predators by means of camouflage. Ironically, the moth’s method of protection was used against it and resulted in its own death. The connection that intertwined the spider, the moth, and the flower’s fates was the fact that they shared a common trait of being white.
Originally, I thought that the spider had a negative connotation because it was being associated with death. Although, reading through the poem over and over again, I realized how unusual it was for Frost to describe the spider as “dimpled” and “fat” in the first line. Usually, one uses those words to describe something cute, friendly, and innocent, like a child, instead of using them to describe an aggressive creature such as a spider. After contemplating over some time, it occurred to me that it is in a spider’s nature to catch an insect in its web and feast upon it. I started to think that the act of the spider was not intended to be perceived as an act of evil, but an act of nature. If that is so, then the spider needed to look out for its own interest and find a niche where it would be easy to prey on its victims. Seeing as how the spider is white, it would be profitable for the spider to hide in an environment similar to its appearance, such as the white heal all. Thus, this is where the design aspect comes into play and unites the three characters of nature.