Death is the recurring symbol of Emily Dickinson’s poetry

Answer

Death is the recurring symbol of Emily Dickinson’s poetry — Illustrate. [NU: 2016, 20] Or, How does Dickinson treat death in her poems? [NU: 2022] Or, Write a note on Dickinson’s treatment of death in her poems. [NU: 2015]    

Death is the most recurring symbol in Emily Dickinson’s poetry. She wrote more than 500 poems on death. Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) lived a quiet life but wrote on universal truths. Among all her themes, death is the most important. For her, death was not only an end but also a spiritual journey.   

Death as an Inevitable Truth: Dickinson treats death as certain and universal. She shows that no one can escape death. In Because I Could Not Stop for Death (1890), she writes: 

“Because I could not stop for Death – 

 He kindly stopped for me – 

 The Carriage held but just ourselves – 

And Immortality.” 

Here, death is personified as a kind visitor. It comes when we are not ready, but leads us to immortality. This shows that death is not an end but a passage to eternity. 

Death as a Long Sleep: Dickinson sometimes sees death as a peaceful rest. For her, it is like a sleep without disturbance. She reflects this view in many poems. Death becomes a way to escape from pain, sorrow, and worldly struggles. This idea gives comfort and hope to readers.  

Death as a Spiritual Awakening: In some poems, death is linked with higher knowledge. In “I Felt a Funeral in My Brain” (1896), she writes: 

“I felt a Funeral in my Brain 

 And mourners to and fro

 Kept treading – treading – till it seemed 

 That sense was breaking through.”   

Here, the funeral is a symbol of the breakdown of reason. But it also shows the soul reaching new awareness. Death becomes a door to spiritual awakening and inner vision.   

Death as a Bridge to God: For Dickinson, death