Selected Poems by Emily Dickinson

Synopsis

‘Because I could not stop for Death’ remains one of Dickinson’s most famous and celebrated poems. It is also surprisingly cheerful in spite of the ominous first line and title. A female speaker narrates her experience as she is visited by “Death,” who is characterised as quite a gentleman. This kindly figure of Death takes the speaker on a ride in his horse-drawn carriage. She muses that she has left behind all pleasures and possession to honour this gentleman’s kindness. She narrates that they have passed the sun, only to correct herself in the realisation that they are still, and the sun has passed them. In this moment, dew forms and it becomes rather cold. The speaker notices that she becomes quite cold too, as she is only wearing a thin gown and scarf. Throughout this ride, the speaker notes different symbols of the various stages of life, including a group of children playing in a circle, until they reach what is seemingly her grave and the carriage comes to a halt. Her grave is described as a house which is partially buried in the ground, with only the roof barely visible. Though centuries have passed during this ride, it feels shorter than a day to the speaker. She realises that Death’s horses are taking her to eternity.

Analysis

In this poem, Dickinson observes death with fervent reverence, painting it as a painless transition into heaven. The speaker is seemingly passing into the afterworld, accompanied by the personified figure of “Death.” The adverb “kindly” used to describe the movement of Death subverts the conventional expectation of death as indifferent and cruel. Here, Dickinson characterises looming “Death” as inviting, painting him/it with an element of beauty.
 
As such, Dickinson reflects on the notion that there is beauty in decay, which speaks to the movement of Transcendentalism and its understand- ing of death as a simple fusion with the sublime natural world.
Though the notion of death is painted with a characteristic beauty in this poem, it is still depicted as inevitable. The opening line of the poem makes this rather clear – even the speaker is unable to “stop for Death.” However, “Death kindly stopped” for her. In this, Dickinson paints death as an inescapable event, giving this poem a rather unique conclusiveness. In this carriage as well, is “Immortality.” It remains ambiguous whether “Immortality” is a figure too, or an abstract notion. A potential interpretation of the presence of “Immortality” is that Dickinson paints the presence of an afterlife that sustains the individual soul in salvation, invoking notions from her Calvinist background.

Stanza 3 describes the carriage to the afterlife passing “the School, where Children strove,” a “Field of Gazing Grain,” and the “Setting Sun.” She evokes the visceral imagery of the harsh gradient of time which will ultimately reign supreme in this symbolic portrayal of the human life cycle. The symbolic sun alludes to the vibrant, melancholic end of life, illustrating the transience of human life as something to celebrate. The imagery of the “Children” playing in a circle exists as a nod to the various stages of life, highlighting the beauty and unity of childhood. This further serves to highlight that despite the death of an individual, life goes on undisturbed. This grim notion is consolidated in the use of the verb “strove,” which paints the futile human ambition to keep living, despite the inevitability of death. 
 
The “Ring” that the children play in further acts as a symbol for the cyclical nature of life and death. Furthermore, the imagery of the “Fields of Gazing Grain” further accentuates this idea of life’s continuation despite death, as these fields continue to grow, undisturbed by death. Dickinson further describes the speaker passing a “Cornice – in the Ground” where the “Roof was scarcely visible” – this macabre imagery is evocative of a headstone, where the carriage suddenly halts.

The speaker realises that this sun had “passed” them, conveying an abrupt ceasing of movement and the internal workings of the human mind. It is at this moment that the speaker truly feels the cold “chill” and emptiness of death, like “Dews” on their soul. The coldness of death finally envelops them, rupturing a sudden, enhanced fear for the coming transition into the afterlife. The use of the slant rhyme of “Day” and “Eternity” constructs a bitter discomfort, suggesting even the admiration and reverence for death is coloured with a solemn, innate fear.
The poem finishes on an end-stopped line which further highlights this mystery of death, and the fear evoked in this uncertainty. The speaker wears a ghostly “Gossamer,” with the thin, almost translucent nature of the fabric alluding to the speaker’s mind itself, which lingers between the threshold of death and the last moments of ephemeral life. The pace quickens in stanza 4, which is steeped with end-stopped lines, disrupting the conventional, even rhythm expected of a ballad quatrain.

Coupled with the use of enjambment, Dickinson creates a paradoxical atmo- sphere of haste whilst also evoking a sense of tranquil, leisurely movement as they “slowly drove.” This perplexing time dilation is furthered as the speaker con- templates the “Centuries” that pass, yet “Feel shorter than the Day,” highlighting an altered perception of time in death. Thus, time itself is projected as merely a mortal shackle, which shatters in the vast magnitude of death. As such, Dickinson highlights the incomprehensible opaqueness of death.

Links to other poems by Dickinson

The subversion of the conventional fear surrounding the notion of death in this poem colours it with certain elements of Transcendentalism. Similarly, her poem ‘There’s something quieter than sleep’ paints death as a euphoric, simple transition into the afterlife. Both poems use Romantic language to highlight an unfettered appreciation for natural forces, and the link between the human existence and the natural world. The imagery of the setting sun in this poem links closely to her poem ‘Blazing in Gold and quenching in Purple,’ where the image of a sun is used as a metaphor for the human life cycle.

Furthermore, this poem highlights the great beyond after death as an incompre- hensible notion. This idea is mirrored in many of Dickinson’s poems – notably, her poem ‘I heard a Fly buzz – when I died,’ where the deceased speaker is unable to comment on what comes after their final moments. Furthermore, her poem ‘There’s a certain Slant of light’ highlights this mystery of death, the weary contemplation of the human life cycle, and the enigma of what comes after, all of which leaves the speaker feeling rather melancholic.