Emily Dickinson Influences

What does Emily Dickinson have in common with Edgar Allan Poe and Harper Lee? To most of the public, all three of these authors were very peculiar. Edgar Allen Poe was considered crazy, and was a social outcast. Harper Lee was rarely ever seen in public. Emily Dickinson was in the public eye until she decided to close everybody off. They are proof that you don’t have to be popular in the public eye to be popular in the literature world. Emily hardly talked to people outside of family, but her voice and feelings were heard throughout the world through her writing. Emily Dickinson was a very bright and talented author. This essay will include information on Emily Dickinson’s life and family, how her personality was influenced by relationships,
Born on December 10, 1830, Emily was the daughter of Edward and Emily Dickinson. She had two siblings: a brother named Austin and a sister named Lavinia. The three siblings were very close-knit; some people believed it was a bit odd that they were so close. Emily’s father Edward was a very strict and outspoken man. He was difficult to live with at times. He worked very hard to become the treasurer at Amherst College after being in tough financial times with his father spending all of the family’s money. Because he worked so hard, Edward did not have much free time to spend with his children. Emily’s mother was the opposite of her father. She was shy, quiet, and compliant. Often times Emily felt unloved or isolated by her parents. Though her parents were different in personality, they were alike in spiritual belief. Emily’s family was very religious and attended church regularly as well as read the Bible daily. Again Emily felt isolated because everybody in her family believed in God wholeheartedly, while she did not. She wrote, “I am standing alone in rebellion.” As Emily grew up, she became interested in gardening, and she played the piano as well as sang. She developed a persistent cough and lost weight. Many have suspected that she had tuberculosis, but nobody knows entirely (Fisher Rabe 27) (Griskey 40, 38) (Longsworth 9-14,
“Outside the walls of her home Emily’s life was guided by the church, by her school, and by her relationships with the people who lived in the small, self-sufficient village and who were interdependent upon one another for their thought, work, entertainment, and way of life.” (Longsworth 17). Her relationship with her mother was not ideal. Like many parents in the 1800’s, Emily’s parents were afraid to develop a deep connection with her. It wasn’t that they did not love her, it was simply a fact that it was likely that children would die young and it would not be as devastating if they were not attached. Emily took this lack of attention from her mother as a lack of love. She once stated, “I never had a mother.” Her mother and she were able to bond through gardening. Emily’s love for nature and gardening was influenced by her mother’s love for gardening. By the end of her life, she was very secluded and the only time she would leave the house was to tend to her beloved garden. Her father intimidated her very much. In fact, she is quoted saying, “I never knew how to tell time by the clock till I was 15. My father thought he had taught me but I did not understand and I was afraid to say I did not and afraid to ask anyone, lest he should know.” (Longsworth 15). Though her father was difficult, strict, and intimidating, Emily did grow close with him as he aged. She