Death and Immortality: Symbolism in Emily Dickinson's Poetry

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Through her use of symbolism, Emily Dickinson is able to establish themes within her poem, “Because I could not stop for Death.” She establishes a theme of death and intertwines it seamlessly with a theme of immortality. We are taken on a journey with the speaker that takes us through all of the stages of life, of death, and what lies beyond. The first symbol we encounter in this poem is Death himself. Upon their meeting, the speaker approaches Death as though he is a courter she is meeting. She speaks of him as being “kindly.” This Death is not the grim reaper in a black cloak holding a scythe that we have seen in images in our past, but a gentleman. You can almost envision him dressed to the nines in a top hat and tails. The speaker is at peace with his arrival and shows no signs of
Here we are introduced to the speaker and Death’s companion, Immortality. “The fact that the speaker encounters two entities in the carriage when it stops for her — both “Death” and “Immortality” — is fully appropriate. the end of earthly existence is but the first stage in a two-step process. The former has been fully achieved, but the second remains merely an expectation (Spencer).” Immortality is placed on a line by itself and this, in itself, is significant in that it emphasizes the importance of the other passenger within the carriage with the speaker and Death. The symbolism of Immortality can be seen in several ways. First, we can view Immortality as the obvious chaperone for the speaker and Death. At the time Dickinson wrote this poem, in the 19th century, it would have been shocking and quite scandalous for a young lady to be riding with a gentleman suitor without a chaperone. Secondly, we can view Immortality in a more literal sense, as what may lie beyond our literal death. Lastly, Immortality may also be viewed as a gift that Death is

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