Code, The

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | 700+ words | Copyright

Code, The, blank‐verse dramatic narrative by Robert Frost, published in North of Boston (1914).

An experienced farmhand tells a “town‐bred farmer” of the pride his fellows take in their competence, and the resulting code:The hand that knows his business won't be told
To do work better or faster—those two things.
For illustration he describes an incident that took place when he worked for a certain Sanders, of Salem, a prodigious worker himself. They were engaged in unloading a wagon of hay, and Sanders made the mistake, while standing below to pile the load, of saying to the hand on the wagon, “Let her come!” Offended at this breach of the code, the hand dumped the entire load down on the helpless farmer, regardless of the danger of suffocating him. Sanders extricated himself, and showed that he recognized the justice of his employee's act:“Discharge me? No! He knew I did just right.”

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Code, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Code, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-CodeThe.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Code, The." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-CodeThe.html

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