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Death is personified as a gentleman caller or suitor. Thomas H. Johnson calls him "one of the great
characters of literature." But exactly what kind of person is he?
- Is Death a kind, polite suitor? The speaker refers to his "kindness" and "civility." He drives
her slowly; is this an expression of tact and consideration for her? If he is the courteous suitor, then
Immortality, who is also in the carriage (or hearse) would be their chaperon, a silent one.
- Is Death actually a betrayer, and is his courtly manner an illusion to seduce her? Because of
his kindness in stopping for her, she agrees to go with him ("put away / My labor and my leisure too").
Is Death really cruel? She is not properly dressed for their journey; she is wearing only a gossamer gown
and tulle tippet (gossamer: very light, thin cloth; tulle: a thin, fine netting used
for veils, scarfs, etc.; tippet: covering for the shoulders). Is Immortality really an accomplice
to Death's deception?
The drive symbolizes her leaving life. She progresses from childhood, maturity (the "gazing grain" is ripe) and
the setting (dying) sun to her grave. The children are presented as active in their leisure ("strove"). The
images of children and grain suggest futurity, that is, they have a future; they also depict the progress
of human life. Is there irony in the contrast between her passivity
and inactivity in the coach and their energetic activity?
The word "passed" is repeated four times in stanzas three and four. They are "passing" by the children
and grain, both still part of life. They are also "passing" out of time into eternity. The sun passes
them as the sun does everyone who is buried. With the sun setting, it becomes dark, in contrast to the
light of the preceding stanzas. It also becomes damp and cold ("dew grew quivering and chill"), in
contrast to the warmth of the preceding stanza. Also the activity of stanza three contrasts with the
inactivity of the speaker in stanzas four and five. They pause at the grave. What is the effect of
describing it as a house?
In the final stanza, the speaker has moved into death; the language becomes abstract; in the previous stanzas the imagery was concrete and
specific. What is Dickinson saying about death or her knowledge of death with this change? The speaker
only guesses ("surmised") that they are heading for eternity. Why does she have to guess? She has experienced life, but what
does she specifically know about being dead? And why didn't death
tell her? If eternity is their goal, can Immortality be a passenger? Or is this question too literal-minded?
Why does Dickinson change from past tense to present tense with the verb "feels" (line 2, stanza 6)?
Does eternity have an end?
In this poem, exclusion occurs differently than it does in "The soul selects her own society" Here the
speaker is excluded from activities and involvement in life; the dead are outside "the ring" of life. As
you read Dickinson's poems, notice the ways in which exclusion occurs and think about whether it is
accurate to characterize her as the poet of exclusion.
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