Introduction of the Poem:
The poem entitled “Because I could Not Stop for Death” is one of the most celebrated poems of Emily Dickinson. It is a lyric poem. It was first published posthumously in 1890 in Poems: Series 1, a collection of Dickinson's poem assembled and edited by her friends Mabel Loomis Todd and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. It was published under the title Chariot.
It is a beautiful poem that depicts death as person who comes to collect a person who has died. The poem tells the story as seen through the eyes of the dead person. It expresses the speaker's reflection on death. It focuses on the concept of life after death. This poem's setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death appears kind and compassionate.
The poem is indeed a challenge to the critical insights of the reader. Because of its multiple layers of its purport and the scope, the poem offers for further exploration of newer layers of meaning, it has attracted a good number of great critics. C.F. Whicher says, “Emily Dickinson's mode of thinking often rises to a level where abstract ideas are personified and dramatized, filled with vital breath and placed in exciting relation with each other.”
The poem is flawless to the last detail. The rhythm charges with movement the pattern of suspended action back of the poem. Every image is precise and moreover, not merely beautiful, but inextricably fused with the central idea. Every image extends and intensifies every other. The content of death in the poem eludes forever any explicit definition. In a bold and striking fashion Emily Dickinson personifies death as a lover, kind and civil, who stops at the house of his beloved to give her a courteous ride. The carriage has three characters, life represented by the beloved, Death and his inevitable companion, immortality.
Theme of the Poem:
In the poem, the poetess uses remembered images of the past to clarify infinite conceptions through the establishment of a dialectical relationship between reality and imagination, the known and the unknown. By viewing this relationship holistically and hierarchically ordering the stages of life to include death and eternity, the speaker recalls experiences that happened on earth centuries ago. In her recollection, she attempts to identify the eternal world by its relationship to temporal standards, as she states that “Centuries” in eternity are “shorter than the (earthly) day.”
By recalling specific stages of life on earth, the speaker not only settles her temporal past but also views these happenings from a higher awareness, both literally and figuratively. Through her boundless amalgamation and progressive ordering of the temporal world with the spiritual universe, Dickinson dialectically shapes meaning from the limitations of life, allowing the reader momentarily to glimpse a universe in which the seemingly distinct and discontinuous stages of existence are holistically implicated and purposed.
The poem masterfully handles the effect of earth's unexpected visit upon the victim, viewing her progression from fluttered self - pleasure and comfortable anticipation to gradual fear and doubt into a full realization of death's deception and terrifying purpose. Throughout, death is seen from various perspectives: as a welcome relief from life's tension; as a force which heightens one's satisfaction with life; as a lover gently conveying one to hidden pleasures; as a cynical caller who poses beneath a cordial exterior; and finally as a solemn guide lending one to the threshold of immortality. In this poem Emily Dickinson's profound views of death and immortality are rendered with an artistic perfection that very few lyrics surpass.
The overall theme of the poem seems to be that death is not to be feared since it is a natural part of the endless cycle of nature. Her view of death may also reflect her personality and religious beliefs. On the one hand, as a spinster, she was somewhat reclusive and introspective, tending to dwell on loneliness and death. On the other hand, as a Christian and a Bible reader, she was optimistic about her ultimate fate and appeared to see death as a friend.
Summary of the Poem:
The poetess has introduced death as the leading character performing a human action —stopping for someone on the way. She has presented death as lover of herself. The poetess has not sought death because of her involvement in worldly life. When death approaches at her house, she becomes submissive before him (her courteous lover). Death has not approached alone, but with a companion in the form of immortality. (A Chaperon named Immortality rides with them. Though the poetess offers no description of Immortality, one might imagine an ageless - looking little woman in a gray dress.)
When the Chariot of Death stopped at the door of house, the poetess was as busy in worldly affairs as ever. But due to being a polite and considerate gentleman, she was highly impressed with him and was ready to accompany him in the carriage. Putting away her work and not caring her comfort. She occupied her seat in the chariot. Now the carriage with its passengers (Death, poetess and Immortality moved slowly to the destination of eternity). The speed of the carriage was so slow that Death seemed to be in no hurry of any type.
This is symbolic of the fact that man dies every moment of his life, but Death shows no haste and does not snatch life abruptly. At the same time, the poetess was sitting in the carriage with her lover Death with great ease. She was not in hurry and worry. After undertaking journey with Death, she was greatly overwhelmed. She showed great interest in her new journey with Death. Before going on everlasting journey with Death, the poetess had already got rid of the worldly affairs, duties and activities. She was entirely in a free mood. She had done it to show her manners to her companion, Death. Her behaviour towards her lover (Death) was very polite and gentle because her lover himself had come to take her on the long drive of immortality.
There is beautiful depiction of life that receded back as the horse - drawn carriage of Death moved on. While moving forward, they left behind the warmth and motion of life. The journey was gradual. A purpose was lying in slow drive, it was to see as much of life as possible before meeting death. During their journey to eternity, their horse - drawn carriage passed by the school. The poetess saw the children were playing in a ring (Rings have magical significance for human beings because they are a symbol of eternity). She saw the children in great wantonness during their play. They did not notice Death's carriage because they were too busy with their own game. (Similarly, human beings are too busy with their life's task to notice death or perhaps it would be better to say that death is frightening and unwelcome so they prefer to ignore it and not think about it). While moving onward, they passed by the villages which were full of fields. She saw the crops of ripe grain. The crops in the fields were seen staring at the chariot. Crops (signifying Nature) only stared at Death chariot, showing Nature's passivity towards death. The pace of horse - drawn chariot was fast as it passed by the setting sun. (The setting sun signifies the evening just as it also signifies the end of life).
The poetess says that they passed the setting sun and then hastens to correct her that rather the sun passed by them. Earlier in the context the poet had said that on her final journey in Death's carriage, accompanied by death himself, they passed the setting sun. Then she realized that she was already dead and the carriage was her hearse. Since she was dead, it was not possible for her to pass the setting sun. So she corrects herself by saying that it was not they who passed the setting sun, rather it was he who passed them. (Like Death and Immortality, the setting sun has also been personified). With the setting of the sun, it was growing gradually dark. The chill and tiny dew drops began to fall. It became utter cold. The poetess herself felt cold and started shivering. Soon she felt that she was scantily dressed in her light gown. But according to the occasion, she was properly dressed with gossamer and a triplet (the flowing scarf). Conscious of her flimsy dress, she seems to suspect for a moment, the motives of her lover. She thinks whether he is a gentleman lover who can keep his promise or he is going to turn out a seducer.
Then the horse - drawn chariot of Death came to a halt before a house. This house was the destination of Death's carriage. In fact this house was the tomb of the poetess, her final resting place. This house was very low and it could hardly be seen. It seemed to be just a mound of earth. It did not have visible roof and a cornice in the ground. (The Cornice is usually on the roof of houses. It was in the ground here because the house was very low. It was just a mound in the earth and so the cornice was also in the ground).
Human body is mortal, but human soul never dies. It is immortal. On the chariot of Death earlier, the poetess had seen the heads of horses which were pointing towards eternity. It signified that although the carriage was taking the dead body to the grave, yet the soul which is immortal was being carried towards eternity. Her soul was still alive and would remain alive till eternity. The journey of her life was still going on, ever centuries after her death. These lines clarify that it is in a flash of memory that the poet recalls her last ride in Death's carriage to her grave.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:
The poem entitled “Because I could Not Stop for Death” is an eerie, but absorbing evocation of death. It is one of hundreds of poems devoted to death, as she grapples with the philosophical significance of this experience. Her provocative work is particularly characterised by a sophisticated use of language and punctuation, which patently adds depth and meaning. For the female subject of the poem, death is dispassionately met, where the separation of body and spirit is apparent. Existence beyond life is a perpetual “Eternity”, signified in the metaphor of journey, as time transcends into an alternate dimension.
In each stanza, the first line has eight syllables (four feet); the second, six syllables (three feet). The meter alternates between iambic tetrameter (lines with eight syllables, or four feet) and iambic trimester (lines with six syllables, or three feet). In iambic meter, the feet (pairs of syllables) contain an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
Dickinson also occasionally uses internal rhyme, as in the following lines:
The carriage held but just ourselves (line 3)
We slowly drove, he knew no haste (line 5)
We passed the fields of gazing grain (line 11)
The dews grew quivering and chill (line 14)
In the fourth stanza, the school symbolizes the morning of life; the grain, the midday of life and the working years; the setting sun, the evening of life and the death of life.
The poetess has used the following figures of speech:
She has used the figure of speech Alliteration in the following Ines:
Because I could not stop for Death (line 1)
he knew no haste ( line 5 )
My labour, and my leisure too (line 7)
At recess, in the ring
gazing grain (line 11)
setting sun (line 12)
For only gossamer my gown (line 15)
My tippet only tulle (line 16)
toward eternity (line 24)
She has used Anaphora in the following lines;
We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun. (lines 9-12).
She has used Paradox in the following lines:
Since then ‘tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads (lines 21-23)
She has used Personification in the following lines:
We passed the setting sun.
Or rather, he passed us (lines 12-13)
(Comparison of the sun to a person)
Death is personified throughout the poem.
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