Emily Dickinson Poem 465 Analysis

In her poem #465, Emily Dickinson’s speaker allows the reader to experience an ironic reversal of conventional expectations of the moment of death in the mid-1800s, as the speaker finds nothing but an eerie darkness at the end of her life.
Initially, the events that occur at the moment of the speaker’s death demonstrate the eerie yet simple death she experiences, unlike what a Christian in the 1800s would expect. During the moment of the speaker’s passing, she “heard a Fly buzz” (1). After the speaker’s demise, there is no grand gateway to the heavens, as most Christian families in the mid-1800s believed. There is only a fly buzzing around the room. Dickinson’s symbol of the filthy, simple fly reveals the reality of death for the speaker, as

Specifically, the speaker, while on her deathbed, notices that “The Eyes around – had wrung them dry - / and Breaths were gathering firm” (5-6). Dickinson’s synecdoche demonstrates how, in the face of death, the speaker only observes the miniscule portions of the mourners, rather than the whole. This synecdoche illustrates how during the speaker’s death, rather than experiencing a grand death, the small details, which seem insignificant, are essentially the focus. This demonstrates how in life and in death, the details that may seem insignificant are in fact what people may remember when their time has come to an end. Additionally, while waiting in the room for the speaker’s inevitable demise, the mourners remain inaudible while anticipating “that last Onset – when the King / Be witnessed – in the Room”(7-8). During the mid-1800s, there was a common misconception among Christians that during the moment of death, God himself would appear for a grand departure and carry the deceased to heaven. Dickinson’s allusion to God or the “King” demonstrates the grandeur of death that was a common belief during this time period. Also, through oxymoron of “last Onset” meaning the final beginning, Dickinson illustrates the magnificence of death as believed by Christians in the mid-1800s. It was ordinarily believed that heaven following death was the final destination for souls where knowledge and happiness are experienced and fulfillment is ultimately reached. The extraordinarily high expectations of death that results from the Christian belief system only leads to unavoidable disappointment as the “King” is not “witnessed,” only a filthy fly accompanying a modest, uneventful