Analysis Of Emily Dickinson: The Struggles With Christianity

Emily Dickinson, the Struggles with Christianity

Emily Dickinson’s poems are famous for their use of faith, death, and the supernatural as central themes. She is often the subject in literature classes, but with nearly 1800 poems and writings, one can only scratch the surface of the Emily Dickinson catalogue. Her background in the Christian religion can be found all throughout her writings. At times she seems deeply rooted in her faith, yet other times she seems riddled with doubt. She writes about love and joy, but far more of her poems reflect death and misery. This causes great debate among fans of her work. Some view her as a feminist that challenges a religion led and dominated by men, and others view her as a strongly religious woman that progressed Christianity. One fact is for certain, although she uses condescending tones regarding religion at times, she never denies her belief in God. Her criticisms are pinpointed toward others within the Christian faith and at the role God plays within our everyday lives. Emily Dickinson uses her

She often borrows words associated with Christianity as metaphors. For example in her poem “Success is counted sweetest”, she writes, “Not one of all the purple Host” (Dickinson 844). In this poem regarding success, she refers to the “purple host” which is Jesus Christ. The color purple is associated with kings and royalty; it’s also a combination of the colors blue (which represents trust and law) and red (blood). Also, notice that the word “host” is capitalized which can be a sign of respect or authority. This is later confirmed near the end of the poem when she writes, “As he defeated – dying” (844). She uses Jesus Christ as an example of success because of his association with the ultimate victory of escaping death. She provides another example of her strong leanings toward Christian belief when she