How Does Dickinson Treat Immortality in Her Poems? 

Answer

How does Dickinson treat immortality in her poems?

Emily Dickinson (1830 – 1886) is a famous poet American poet. She often wrote about deep ideas, including the idea of living forever or immortality. In some of her poems, she talks about immortality in different ways. Let us examine how Emily Dickinson addresses the concept of immortality in her poems.

Immortality in “I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain” (1896): In “I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain,” Dickinson talks about immortality as a mysterious and unknown place. The speaker feels like a funeral is happening inside her mind. As the poem goes on, she feels like a “Plank in Reason” breaks, and she falls into an unknown world. This fall shows the speaker crossing over into immortality, which feels strange and uncertain.

Immortality in “I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed” (1861): In “I Taste a Liquor Never Brewed,” Dickinson suggests that we can feel immortality through the joy of nature. The speaker feels drunk on the beauty of the air and dew. She says, 

“Inebriate of air – am I – 

And Debauchee of Dew.” 

This shows that nature gives a sense of living forever, where happiness and life never end.

Immortality in “Wild Nights – Wild Nights!” (1891): In “Wild Nights – Wild Nights!” Dickinson hints that immortality is like being united with a loved one or something divine. The speaker dreams of “mooring” or finding a safe place, saying, 

“Might I but moor – tonight – 

In thee!” 

This shows a thirst for a deep, eternal connection, where life and death no longer matter, and the soul finds peace forever.

Immortality in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” (1890): In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”, Dickinson shows immortality as a journey. The speaker rides in a carriage with Death and Immortality. They move slowly, and the speaker realizes that the carriage ride is taking her toward eternity. She says, 

“The Carriage held but just Ourselves – 

And Immortality,” 

This shows that death is not the end but the start of living forever.

In her poems, Emily Dickinson talks about immortality in different ways. She shows it as a journey, an unknown place, a joyful feeling in nature, and a deep, lasting connection. Her poems help us think about what it means to live forever.