# The Black Cottage explained — North of Boston

> Chapter companion for North of Boston by Robert Frost.

## What happens

The minister and the speaker pause to look at an abandoned black cottage, reflecting on the old woman who lived there, her unwavering beliefs about equality and the Civil War, and the tension between tradition and change. The minister recounts how her presence prevented him from altering the Creed, and the chapter ends with a sudden disruption as bees are discovered in the wall.

## Themes in this chapter

### Tradition vs. Change

The minister's struggle over whether to alter the Creed to suit modern sensibilities, balanced against the old woman's steadfast, traditional faith.

### Death and Mortality

The cottage stands as a memorial to the old woman's life and death, with her possessions left untouched and her memory preserved.

### Home and Belonging

The cottage, though abandoned, remains a home in memory, with the sons' intention to return, and the minister's sense of the place being 'forsaken' by the world.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The speaker who accompanies the minister to the cottage and listens to his reflections.

### The Minister

The minister who leads the visit to the cottage, shares memories of the old woman, and discusses her influence on his views about the Creed.

## Key lines

> We chanced in passing by that afternoon To catch it in a sort of special picture

We happened to pass by that afternoon and saw it in a particularly picturesque way.

_The speaker describes the accidental discovery of the cottage's beauty._

> She had her own idea of things, the old lady. And she liked talk. She had seen Garrison And Whittier, and had her story of them.

The old woman had her own opinions and enjoyed conversation; she had met Garrison and Whittier and had tales to tell about them.

_The minister recalls the old woman's independent thinking and personal encounters with famous abolitionists._

> Most of the change we think we see in life Is due to truths being in and out of favour.

Much of what we perceive as change in life is actually just truths becoming popular or unpopular over time.

_The minister reflects on the cyclical nature of beliefs and truths._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/north_of_boston_se/chapters/the-black-cottage
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/north_of_boston_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/north_of_boston_se/chapters