how does literature helps us to understand the reality in life?

I'll pick his most famous selection, "The Road Not Taken". Most people think it's pretty straight forward. Actually it's a little more complex than many people think. Still the themes are universal. The speaker stands between two roads. One is easier to take, the other is not. The metaphor to life can't get any clearer. One of the big questions we face is to take the tried and easy way out or the tougher path of non-conformity. Most people read this poem as an ode to taking the tougher path only to be rewarded in the end. The poem doesn't quite say this but the theme of dilemmas and decisions are ones that we grapple with every day of our life.