Poetry Analysis: Because I Could not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson - Book Report/Review Example

?Poetry Analysis Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” tells of the speaker’s journey from life into the eternal realms of death. With Death portrayed as a gentleman caller, who stops to pick up the speaker in a carriage, the passage into death is not as startling as one might expect, but is revealed to be a peaceful excursion. Throughout Dickinson’s life, she had a morbid fascination with death, often writing poems that were too controversial to be published. As a result, “Because I could not stop for Death” was published long after Dickinson took up her own journey with Death. Unlike other poems that center on the topic of death, Dickinson’s poem is intriguing as it gives an unprecedented pleasant perception of the transition from life to death. Through the symbolism of the speaker’s ride with the gentleman Death, we are able to see why death is an experience that should not be feared. The most profound symbol in “Because I could not stop for Death” is Death, who is described as a gentleman, and the driver of the carriage that stops for the speaker. This man is immediately identified as Death, but unlike the harrowing visions of the Grim Reaper that many of us are familiar with, he is depicted as a suitor, a kindly gentleman wanting only to escort a lady to her final resting place. Like a proper gentleman, Death waits on the speaker: “Because I could not stop for Death / He kindly stopped for me (Dickinson, 2010, p. 459).” The speaker, much too busy with the activities of her life to have time for death, is met with the cordial patience of Death. In this way, with Death being characterized as a gentleman, death does not seem as intimidating, nor as threatening. The speaker is so captivated by the kind driver that she gives up all that has occupied her and accompanies him. Like Death, Immortality is also present in the carriage, as revealed in the following line: “The carriage held but just ourselves / And Immortality (Dickinson, 2010, p. 459).” Immortality does not have the same personification as Death, but is no less regarded as a character of comfort and a companion on the speaker’s journey to her grave. Most people long for immortality, the ability to be immune from the effects of time and to overcome the inevitability of death. However, by entering death, the speaker is gaining another form of immortality, for once she reaches death, there is nowhere else to go. In this sense, Immortality symbolizes the desired condition of eternal life, one that has consumed the speaker. The speaker is taken to her final resting place by means of a carriage, which is symbolic for the journey itself from life to death. Similar to Death being portrayed as a gentleman, and thus coming off as harmless, the carriage symbolizing the journey gives the transition into death a pleasant appeal. Instead of an ominous hearse, the typical vehicle for a dead body, the afterlife is reached through a carriage, and the journey to the final resting place becomes like nothing more than a peaceful ride through a quiet countryside. Carriages are a slow form of transportation, one that encourages the riders to thoroughly enjoy their surroundings and the trip as a whole. In this case, the scenery that the speaker experiences is her life, which is symbolized through frolicking schoolchildren and the setting sun, and will be discussed herein. Though it may be distressing to see one’s life pass them by, to see all that they have accomplished but are leaving behind, the speaker is at ease as she finds herself in a smooth-riding carriage with the serene company of Death. This shows how the journey to death should not be frightening, but that time should be taken to fully appreciate and enjoy the experience. On the speaker’s journey to her final resting place, she and Death “passed the school, where children strove / at recess, in the ring / We passed the fields of gazing grain / We passed the setting sun (Dickinson, 2010, p. 459).” These images are pleasant, and depict, as previously mentioned, the life that the speaker is leaving behind. The children symbolize the past of the speaker, the daily routine and the experiences that she is withdrawing from. They also indicate the youth that no longer belongs to the speaker. The setting sun, a common symbol used when describing death, represents the passage of time; the sun is setting on the life of the speaker. The sun also suggests that the speaker has almost arrived at her grave. At long last, Death and the speaker, along with Immortality, arrive at the final destination: a house, which is described as “a swelling of the ground / The roof was scarcely visible / The cornice but a mound (Dickinson, 2010, p. 459).” The house symbolizes the grave of the speaker. However, whereas a grave is cold and eerie, a house is warm and familiar, a place that most people want to return to at the end of a long day. This house has the same purpose, being there for the speaker at the end of not just a long day, but a long and fulfilling life. Just like the comforting symbolism and personification of Death, who is pleasant and approachable, the grave appears as a warm house that draws the speaker inside. She no longer fears death or what is beyond the grave but is now comfortable with dying. Death is a topic that many people attempt to avoid, uncomfortable with its implications of there being nothing more to one’s being. While many of Emily Dickinson’s poems concerning death reverberate with the haunting and depressing feeling that many would associate with death, “Because I could not stop for death” is significantly more optimistic and even hopeful. If dying and death were as comforting as Death and Immortality’s presence, and one’s grave as warm and familiar as a house, perhaps death would become less of a fight against time and more of an acceptance when the time comes and the journey with Death begins. Read More