The speaker's land and his neighbor's land are separated by the differences in the trees: "He is all pine and I am apple orchard." If their lands are marked by this difference, the wall seems to be merely symbolic and perhaps even unnecessary.
The speaker suggests that the rebuilding is "just another kind of outdoor game." This could mean the rebuilding itself is playful. Given that the speaker summons his neighbor and they both take...
The speaker's land and his neighbor's land are separated by the differences in the trees: "He is all pine and I am apple orchard." If their lands are marked by this difference, the wall seems to be merely symbolic and perhaps even unnecessary.
The speaker suggests that the rebuilding is "just another kind of outdoor game." This could mean the rebuilding itself is playful. Given that the speaker summons his neighbor and they both take part in rebuilding, there is something communal about it. As they go about rebuilding the wall, the speaker wonders why his neighbor says "Good fences make good neighbors." So, perhaps the speaker continues to rebuild the wall because it affords him an opportunity to try and decipher what his neighbor actually means by this phrase. Does each man continue to rebuild the wall to acknowledge their separation? Or does the rebuilding give the two men a chance to meet in a peaceful way?
The ending is ambiguous. But since this is a "mending" wall, there is a strong suggestion that the rebuilding is a way for the two men to keep their distant relationship stable (like the wall) and this ritual is a peaceful (and maybe even playful) way to do it.
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