Emily Dickinson's Views On Life After Death

Everyone dies. The causes of death and the symptoms leading up to it are well researched, but the universal phenomenon of what happens to humans after they die remains a mystery. While there are many theories and personal opinions on what may occur, no one has been able to find concrete evidence on whether there is in fact an afterlife. One would think that as technology is quickly advancing, people would at least have an idea of what occurs, but this age-old question continues to be a well-kept secret. Individuals who have been let in on the secret of life after death are unable to communicate their discoveries, so it will remain unknown. In “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “After Death” by Cristina Rossetti, the
Emily Dickinson’s life influenced her view on death. She lived her life on the verge of death. She suffered from the lung disease tuberculosis, bad eyesight, anxiety, and her overbearing father. These factors led to her father holding her prisoner within the confines of their home. Her inability to truly live life caused her to become comfortable with the idea of death. In her poem “Because I could not stop for Death”, she personified Death and made it seem kind and civil. This is shown when the narrator introduces the reader to Death by saying, “Because I could not stop for Death/ He kindly stopped for me-” (Dickinson lines 1-2). Her description of Death is different from the scary grim reaper commonly used. The narrator’s version of Death is polite and acts similarly to a gentleman courting a woman. He is courteous when meeting the deceased narrator. These two lines set the peaceful and accepting tone that continues throughout the rest of the poem. Dickinson and the narrator share the same views on death. Dickinson was familiar with death and therefore the
When describing the surrounding of where her dead body lays, the speaker is relaxed. She also appears to have accepted the fact that she is deceased. Unlike in Dickinson’s poem, Rossetti’s narrator observes someone grieve over her body. Rossetti does not describe a carriage ride through fields of grain with Death or personify Death like Dickinson. Death is not a being but a state of being in her poem. In her interpretation of the after-life, does not describe meeting Death at all. But similarly, to Dickinson’s narrator, the character seems to welcome the fact that she is dead and in some ways, prefer it. She says, “He did not love me living; but once dead/ He pitied me; and very sweet it is/ To know he still is warm though I am cold” (Rossetti Lines 13-14). She witnesses a man display emotion towards her. Something she reveals she had not witnessed before. Rossetti’s poem discloses her belief that after death, the deceased have an out of body moment where they can watch their loved ones. While their body may physically be placed in the grave, the narrator does not describe whether the dead goes with it. Akomolafe also speaks about this in his article when he states, “Death is recognized as the point when the spirit separates from the body” (Akomolafe 36). They both believe that the body and soul can be separated. Rossetti does not believe that they go straight to the grave like