Emily Dickinson

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Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson's unusual character and style has made her become one of the world's most famous poets. In her poems, she expresses her feelings about religion, nature, death and love. Her poems tell a great deal about her lifestyle, which was very secluded and withdrawn from society.

Dickinson's prosperous family expected her to live as a Christian, and someday have a family of her own (Lit 927). Dickinson, however, rebelled against this traditional way of life, as she developed and lived by her own personal beliefs. She never tells if she believes in the existence of God, but she does tell that she disagrees with the church in the poem "Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church." She explains in this poem that any worshiping that she does, happens in her own home.

In many of her poems, Dickinson expresses her interest in nature, by comparing it to human behavior. This is evident in "Nature is a Haunted House," when Kher explains the advice that Dickinson gives:

Man must come out of his puny self, which is a jar, and become a well, which is a form of awakened consciousness, in order to reach the dimension of the sea which is his real self, his freedom. (41).

She also gives advice in "nature is what we see" by implying that like nature, humans can not predict things in life that seem to be going well, to always remain they way they are. (42).

Along with the natural way of life comes death, which seems to have fascinated Dickinson. "Because I did not stop for death-- He kindly stopped for me- The Carriage held but just ourselves and immortality," (Kher 212). In this poem, the carriage symbolizes onward movement and continuity (213). When Dickinson mentions "eternity" in this poem, she seems to imply that human beings are immortal, and that death is merely a pause.

Although the dark and unexplained did capture Dickinson's interest, she still expressed feelings of love in her poems. In "You Left Me-Sire-Two Legacies," Dickinson writes about someone that she cared deeply for, who is no longer here, (inet 2). She did care very deeply for Reverend Charles Wadsworth, so perhaps this poem was written to describe the pain that she felt after he moved away.

The thing that sets Dickenson apart from anyone else is her individuality.

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