Comment on the symbolic significance of 'The Roadside stand'

The roadside stand symbolizes the farmers wish to enjoy the luxuries of city life. It is a symbol of the lives of poor and deprived countryside people who struggle to live with the thoughtless city people who don’t even bother to notice the roadside stand that these people have put up to sell their goods at the edge of the highway outside. It is also a symbol of hope of the farmers since they believe that passing cars would buy the produce and earn a bit of the money that supports cities from falling into ruin. However, no cars ever stop and the ones that even glance in the direction of the stand without any feeling of compassion only comment about how the construction spoils the view of the surroundings or how badly painted the wrongly pointed North and South signs are or to notice without interest the wild berries and squash for sale in the stand or the beautiful mountain scene. 

The farmer tells the rich travelers to keep their money if they meant to be mean and that the hurt to the view is not as important as the sorrow he feels on being ignored. He only wishes for some money so that he may experience the luxuries portrayed by the movies and other media, which the political parties are said to be refusing him. Frost goes on to say that even though these people have benefactors, who plan to relocate them in villages where they can have easy access to the cinema and the store, they are actually selfish and only help these "pitiful kin" to indirectly advantage themselves. 

The altruists wish to make these villagers completely dependent on them for all their benefits and comforts, thus robbing them of the ability to think for themselves and be independent. In that sense roadside stand symbolizes wealth or money by which the poor dream of becoming rich. It is also a symbol of the diminishing past. The open windows of the farmer's house seem to wait all day just to hear the sound of a car stopping to make a purchase. However they are always disappointed, as vehicles only stop to enquire the price, to ask their way ahead, to reverse or ask for a gallon of gas. Thus Roadside Stand is symbolic of the vain hope of poor people to become rich.