Introduction
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” is a poem by American author Emily Dickinson, regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. The poem conveys that the narrator is ready to face death peacefully and without resistance. Such notions are fundamental to absorb and comprehend as they allow people to evaluate their fear and see life in a new light. Throughout the work, Dickinson expresses a calm and balanced demeanor toward dying. Death is a natural phenomenon, and one has no reason to fear it.
Summary
In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” the author describes meeting a man and driving with him in a carriage. They drive slowly as “he knew no haste” (Dickinson 5), and the narrator sees various scenes, for example, “school” and “recess” (Dickinson 9–10). The author describes the journey as becoming colder, “the dews drew quivering and chill” (Dickinson 14) because she only wore her nightgown. The poem ends with the narrator and the man arriving at a house rooted in the ground as its “roof was scarcely visible” (Dickinson 19). Lastly, the author reflects on the horses’ heads and their meaning.
Analysis
The poem begins with the author stating that instead of her stopping for death, death stopped for her. This statement means that a person does not choose the time and place of their death, but external influences determine these circumstances. This notion adds to the idea that death is out of a moral’s hands and should be accepted gracefully. Next, Dickinson describes the carriage as empty, except for her death and “immortality” (Dickinson 4). The inclusion of immortality alludes to the fact that death is not viewed as the end but rather as a key to an afterlife.
Next, the narrator is slowly driven by death, which forces her to lay off her work and leisure. The fact that the narrator had to “put away” (Dickinson 6) both her work and leisure implies that death ended her day-to-day obligations and entertainment. This action is explained as a consequence of the death’s “civility“ (Dickinson 8). Despite being interrupted in her worldly engagements, the author expresses no remorse. On the contrary, she praises death as civil and gladly accepts the nature of their ride, where she is not a doer, but an observer.
In the next stanza, the narrator passes her previous life, notably her young years in school. The words “school“ (Dickinson 6) and “recess“ (Dickinson 7) point towards the moments of the narrator’s youth as being the most precious of her memories. In addition, the protagonist passes the “setting sun“ (Dickinson 10) and “gazing grain“ (Dickinson 9), which symbolize the passage of time. The grand represents all the deeds the narrator undertook during her life.
In the following stanza, the author clarifies that the sun passed them instead of vice versa. This creates a representation of all the days that she had lived. The narrator feels cold, with “quivering and chill“ (Dickinson 14) dews, because she is only wearing a nightgown made of gossamer (Dickinson 15). The lack of clothing is connected with stripping all earthly possessions before entering the afterlife. The protagonist expresses no grief towards her disposition, furthering the notion of acceptance of her fate.
The protagonist and death stop at a rather peculiar house. The highest point of the building, the cornice, is “in the ground“ (Dickinson 20), meaning the house is practically underground. The imagery suggests that the protagonist’s new abode is beneath the earth, which means she is destined for a grave. Once again, the character displays no apprehension or fear towards such an outcome.
Lastly, the narrator reflects upon her view of horses as bringers of eternity. She proclaims her belief that horses’ heads had been pointing towards eternity, alluding to the horses driving the carriage. Furthermore, the author writes, “since then – ’tis centuries – and yet feels shorter than the day“ (Dickinson 21–22), meaning that her reflection was first concluded long ago. These factors highlight the consistency of the author’s belief in the afterlife and the fact that she has accepted death for her whole life.
Critical Response
The poem is an essential piece of American poetic history, leading to multiple interpretations. The matter of eternity is discussed widely in these interpretations. For example, Nasrullah Mambrol points to an instance of the use of the word immortality and states, “This is the poem’s only “description“ of eternity and what it implies is that life is immeasurably denser, fuller, weightier. Eternity has no end, but it is empty“ (Mambrol para. 7).
In addition, Mambrol claims that horses’ heads are an “obstruction“ and eternity is a “surmised direction“ (Mambrol para. 7). This take implies that Dickinson aims to create a sense of uncertainty regarding the presence of an afterlife. Furthermore, the claim states that the memories of the past are the primary focus of the work. However, the mention of immortality in the first stanza points towards eternity’s significant meaning for the author and the poem. In addition, the wording of the last stanza implies that the author has always had an inkling that immortality waited for her at the end of a carriage ride driven by horses.
Another instance of analysis targeted towards eternity is the work of Oliver Tearle from Loughborough University. He argues that the house is symbolic of a tomb, a “house of earth, like a dolmen or earthwork built for a tomb,“ which points to the narrator being already dead (Tearle para. 5). However, the fact that the protagonist is merely approaching the house, “we paused“ (Dickinson 13), suggests that the doors to eternity are yet to open. At that point, the protagonist has not begun the journey to the afterlife.
In addition, this analysis presents scrutiny regarding the role of the death figure. Oliver Tearle states that the protagonist is the driver of the carriage instead of death, “the speaker tells us that they took their time driving to where they were going“ (Tearle para. 3). This claim adds a layer of autonomy to the narrator; however, the position of the protagonist in the poem is a relatively passive one. This passiveness is evident from her being picked up by death and gladly surrendering her moral duties as a sign of respect for death.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson is a work that gracefully accepts death. The author believes that death is a natural phenomenon and does not express fear or apprehension in the face of it. Instead, she marvels at her memories and reflects on how she had always known the immortal nature of a soul. The work’s narrative is the inevitability of immortality as the character reminisces about her assumption regarding horses as bringers of eternity.
Works Cited
Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Analysis of Emily Dickinson’ Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Literary Theory and Criticism, Web.
Dickinson, Emily. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Poetry Foundation, Web.
Tearle, Ovilver. “A Short Analysis of Emily Dickinson’s ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Interesting Literature, Web.