How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
Then the boy saw all—
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man's work, though a child at heart—
He saw all was spoiled. (22-25)
Notice how eerie the mixing is between the childish phrase "big boy" and the adult "spoiled." It exactly describes what's happening. Frost also mixes clichés to relate to the reader—he deploys them in emotional moments that resonate, so that the reader empathizes with the boy, even though the family doesn't seem to.