Here's why the title is crucial:
* It sets the theme: The title immediately establishes the central idea of choice and its consequences.
* It highlights the speaker's action: The poem is not about the road itself, but about the speaker's deliberate decision to take the road "less traveled by."
* It emphasizes the choice: "The Road Not Taken" becomes a symbol for all the choices we make in life, the paths we don't take, and the potential outcomes we never experience.
The poem is open to interpretation, but the title guides the reader to understand the speaker's focus on the path they did *not* take, leaving the reader to ponder the significance of that choice.