Theme of Death in Emily Dickinson Poetry

Emily Dickinson’s poetry is based on her deepest thoughts and life experiences. During her life she endured many tragic deaths of people close to her. This influenced her writing as means of expression and became a recurrent idea in her poetry. Because in her poems she interprets death differently, it can be inferred that she views death as ambivalent and equivocal. Dickinson uses different poetic devices to emphasize the unpredictable character of death. In “I heard the Fly buzz – when I died—” death represents grief and the end of life, but in “Because I could not stop for death” death is a nice kind gentleman leading the narrator to the eternity. She implies that death is always unpredictable and beyond human interpretation.
Dickinson points out that death is always impossible to predict. In some cases death indeed means the end (“I heard the Fly buzz – when I died—”), but it also can mean the beginning: the beginning of eternity (“Because I could not stop for death”). Death does not know any rules and is far beyond human interpretation. In “I heard the Fly buzz – when I died—” Dickinson imagines her own deathbed scene where she is waiting for the King (God) to be witnessed in the room (to take her soul), and the eyes (close people) around her deathbed are wrung dry of tears. The expectation of God to come is shattered by the annoying sound of a fly buzzing. Death comes in the shape of the fly to ruin the perfect scene Dickenson has planned. As always, Death is unpredictable and unable to be scheduled or planned by a mortal.

Dickinson’s description of the setting is limited. She only stresses “In the room,” but her excessive use of similes and metaphors helps the readers to conjure up the picture of the deathbed scene:
“The stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air—
Between the Heaves of Storm—”
The room quiets as the narrator and the mourners are waiting for the last breath of life to leave. Dickinson uses a simile to compare the air in the room to the feeling of the air during a lull in a storm. But the storm here is deeply emotional and personal. The phrase “Stillness in the Air” increases the intensity of anticipation. The line “The eyes around – had wrung them dry –” fully reveals the atmosphere of the room. Dickenson describes the mourners around her deathbed that love her so much and cry for so long that they have no more tears. The readers get the whole scene, whole emotional and physical landscape from just one line.
The author uses oxymoron and metaphors to emphasize the unpredictability of death. Two contradicting words “Last Onset” emphasize the inescapability of the end and the duality of the meaning of death. The mourners are ready for inevitable moment, their breaths are firm; they are waiting “For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –”
“The King” is a metaphor for God in this poem. Dickenson is ready, she writes: “I willed my keepsakes.” She is full of expectations for God’s coming. Everything in the room freezes in anticipation. But this significant moment is interrupted by “Interposed a Fly.”
“With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –
Between the light – and me –
And then the Windows failed – and then
I could not see to see –”
A lot of metaphors are used here - “blue” refers to a sad sound of buzzing, “light” refers to heaven where Dickinson expects her soul to arrive. And she already sees “the light” of heaven when Death appears “between the light – and me –” breaking all her expectations to see God. Dickinson personifies Death as the annoying buzzing fly that comes and interrupts the significant moment. And then “Windows failed” – Dickinson’s eyes close and the connection with life is lost. “I could not see to see” - Death takes her life, and she is not able to see, to feel, and tell about the moment of death. It always stays beyond human interpretation.
While Death is usually associated with a grievous end of a life, in her poems Dickinson gives Death different shapes and characters emphasizing that death is beyond interpretation. She also reveals the idea of its suspense and unpredictability. Contrary to common expectations Dickenson personifies death as a kind suitor in “Because I could not stop for Death.” This time Dickinson imagines dying as a long trip to eternity accompanied by a nice gentlemen named Death.
The idea of unpredictable behavior of Death is presented through the entire poem:
“Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –”
From first two lines of the poem, it’s clear that it wasn’t Dickenson’s choice to die; nothing depends on her. Death decides when to “stop for” her, regardless if she is ready or not. Later in the poem Dickenson writes that she also wears inappropriate cloth for such trip:
“For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –”
It confirms her absolute unexpectedness of Death’s coming. In the poem Dickinson uses a lot personifications, metaphors and symbols. Besides Death, she also personifies Immortality as somebody who is also having a ride in the carriage. During their trip they pass “the Fields of Gazing grain” it is another example of personification of lifeless object. As they go further, Dickinson writes:
“We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –”
All those things they pass symbolize the stages of her life, starting with the childhood then fields of grain that symbolize fertility (motherhood), and then “the Setting Sun” boding the end of the day (or the life).
The speed of the carriage changes through the poem. The trip started with very low speed: “We slowly drove – He knew no haste”, then they speed up as they start passing school and fields, the poem seems to get faster and faster. Dickinson implies the transience and insignificance of her formal life. Close to the end the poem slows down as Dickinson writes: "We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground-"
The readers are given a feeling of life slowly ending. The house is a metaphor for grave. When she describes the house, she writes: “The Cornice – in the Ground –” – the cornice is normally a part of the roof, but here it’s in the ground. It means that the whole house in under the ground. Very unpredictable moment for Dickinson to be taken from her live when she hasn’t been ready at all, and to be brought to her grave under the ground.
“Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day –”
It’s been centuries from the day of her death, but her memories still precise and fresh. In Eternity it doesn’t matter if its been a day or the whole century