Emily Dickinson and the Ambiguity of Death: A Reader-Response Approach

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Emily Dickinson and the Ambiguity of Death: A Reader-Response Approach
Death has been a captivating and puzzling mystery for humanity throughout history. The exact nature of what occurs after we die, as well as the implications it holds for our existence, remains unknown. Nevertheless, death resonates universally and deeply, motivating poets and literati to delve into its complexities and convey their thoughts and emotions through their works. Focusing on the poetry of Emily Dickinson, one of the most influential American poets of the nineteenth century, this paper analyses how she challenges her audience’s agency through her ambiguous portrayal of death and invites readers to grapple with its uncertainty and complexity. In other words, Dickinson utilizes ambiguity as a literary device to create multiple and diverse meanings and emotions of death and to engage the reader in an active and creative process of co-constructing meaning. This paper will examine how Dickinson achieves this effect through her language, style, and themes and how her poetry differs from and subverts the conventional views and values of her society and culture. It will also discuss the impact and implications of Dickinson’s work on the literary expression and exploration of death and the reader’s understanding and appreciation of death. By the end of this paper, the reader will gain a deeper and richer insight into the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the ambiguity of death.
Historical and Cultural Context
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830 and died in 1886, a time that witnessed significant changes and challenges in American history and culture (Habegger). The Civil War (1861-1865) was a bloody conflict that divided the nation over slavery and its expansion (poetryfoundation.org). Dickinson’s poems about death often reflect the violence and suffering of the war and the uncertainty and anxiety of the times. For instance, in “My Life Had Stood - a Loaded Gun -” (1863), Dickinson compares herself to a weapon ready to fire at any moment, suggesting a sense of danger and power. In “They Dropped like Flakes -” (1864), she describes the fallen soldiers as snowflakes that cover the ground, implying the coldness and indifference of death.
The rise of science in the nineteenth century challenged Dickinson’s society’s traditional religious views and values. Scientific discoveries, such as those by Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, and others, questioned the biblical account of creation and God’s role in the natural world. Dickinson’s poems about death often express her doubts, curiosity, and fascination with the scientific explanations and mysteries of the universe. For example, in “I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain” (1862), Dickinson uses metaphors of scientific phenomena, such as the “Plank in Reason (line 17)” and the “Boots of Lead (line 11),” to describe her mental breakdown and loss of faith. In “The Brain - is wider than the Sky -” (1863), she compares the human mind to the vastness of the sky, the sea, and God, suggesting a sense of awe and wonder (American...