Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Because I Could Not Stop for Death
         Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school, where children strove
At recess, in the ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

Or rather, he passed us;
The dews grew quivering and chill,
For only gossamer my gown,
My tippet only tulle.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries, and yet each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

Death is a natural process of life that occurs every day. In society, some people are willing to accept death and some fear it. Emily Dickenson for instance was fascinated by death and composed many poems about mortality. Probably the most famous poem she composed was “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” which reflects her views on death. Dickinson conveys her accepting relationship with death by using metaphors and diction. Dickinson uses metaphors to show that she is accepting of death. The first metaphor she employs is the comparison between death and a gentleman. Dickinson refers to death as a gentleman who “kindly stopped for [her]” (Line 2). By alluding death to a gentleman the speaker shows that she respects death and is not afraid of it. We must recall that the time period of Dickenson was vibrant with courtships between young ladies and gentlemen. Therefore, the speaker is symbolizing her journey with Death as a tentative and happy courtship. Also, she is rather impressed with the “gentleman” and is willing “to put [her] labor and [her] leisure too for his civility” (Lines 6-8). The other metaphor that she employs is the comparison between the house and her grave. During her journey to her death, she and the “gentlemen” arrive at a house. This house represents her grave and also conveys her thoughts on death. By calling her grave a house, Dickinson is showing that she is comfortable with death. A house is a place of peace and shelter further supporting the notion that she is accepting of death. Dickenson uses diction to reflect her accepting relationship with death. The overall tone of this poem is peaceful and calm because of its diction. She employs soft language and words to convey her overall message. For instance, Dickenson uses soft words when she states that death “kindly stopped for [her]” (Line 3). The adjective “kindly” shows her accepting nature because death is usually referred to something fearful not benevolent. Furthermore, Dickinson uses the word “civility” to describe death which shows her respect and admiration (Line 8). Overall, Dickinson is praising death with diction that contains positive connotations. The most interesting aspect of this poem is that it closely relates to Elizabeth Willard in Winesburg Ohio. Like the speaker in this poem, Elizabeth is accepting towards death and is willing to embrace it. In the story “Death”, Elizabeth states that her most cherished memories were when “her lovers Death and Doctor Reefy held her in their arms” (143). By calling Death as her lover, we can infer that Elizabeth views Death as her true love because it can provide her with happiness and peace. (As we know, Elizabeth is a lonely and miserable character in the novel.) Since Elizabeth views Death as a solace, the speaker in the poem must also view Death as a place of tranquility and pure joy. It is tragic that these two individuals choose death as the only hope for happiness.

The Womanizer

The novel Winesburg Ohio centers around a young man named George Willard. In “Sophistication”, George becomes “sophisticated” by crossing “the line into manhood” (145). Yet, I am always irked by the fact that he is described as a “sophisticated” young man. I believe that George is a serial womanizer despite his “sophistication”. It is evident in the novel that George has a lot of lady friends who are not simply his “friend”. Adding to that, a womanizer is defined as an individual who pursues women lecherously according to The Free Dictionary. Also, a womanizer is defined as a selfish, narcisstic, nefarious character who needs to manipulate and use women to feed his own selfish needs according to the Urban Dictionary. It might seem extremely pessimistic of me to describe George in a disparaging way but his history with women reaffirms my point. We are first introduced to his womanizing behaviors with Louise Trunnion. George jumps at the chance of having sex with Louise an even has a nerve to state that “she hasn’t got anything on me” after the encounter (28). In other words, he’s saying that he got what he wanted, sex, and will now have nothing to do with her. His assertion seems overly presumptuous portraying him as a rather selfish individual. The next woman he lustfully pursues is Kate Swift, his past school teacher. George states that “he began to believe she might be in love with him and the thought was both pleasing and annoying” (93). By saying that her affections for him is annoying, George presents himself as a pompous young man since he clearly believes that she is not worthy of him. Yet, he is also flattered since he is a serial womanizer who jumps at the chance of pursuing women. As a result, he begins “to have lustful thoughts” of Kate (94). What is more amazing is that during his “lustful thoughts” he also begins to dream of Helen White “with whom he had been for a long time half in love” (94). His short attention span towards women reveals his capricious and immature mind. I also must ask, what does it even mean to be half in love? Maybe it means that George’s desire for women persuades his mind to think that he is in love when he is not. Unfortunately, George and Kate do not work out so he starts to pursue another woman, Belle Carpenter. (What a surprise:() Anyways, the affair between George and Belle is just a shallow relationship since both of them use each other to attain their desires. George like a womanizer uses Belle to feed his own selfish needs of lust. He further uses her to be possessed “with the sense of masculine power” (113). Obviously, Belle and George do not work out at the end.  Now the final woman he pursues in the novel is Helen White. Helen and George’s relationship comes under focus at “Sophistication”. George states that he “wanted to be and be loved by her” showing his constant desire to be loved by women (149). Some might say that in this story, George is mature and has quit his womanizing tendencies. However, he is still continuing to pursue women which is in the form of Helen. Inferring from the interaction between George and Helen, George probably desires to form deep relationships with women since his mother died. He is most likely looking for a woman to heal his pains and also to fulfill his selfish needs.

The Dangers of Isolation

                Recently I had the opportunity of watching the famous horror movie “The Shining”. As famously known, “The Shining” is a provocative film that centers on a family who is staying at an empty hotel. At the isolated hotel, the father, Jack Torrance, supposedly becomes possessed by supernatural forces and attempts to murder his wife and young son. Yet I always believe that isolation rather than the supernatural plays an imperative role to Jack’s malicious actions. Jack who is already a selfish man is constantly jealous of the fact that his son receives more attention from his wife. Therefore at the isolated hotel, Jack is forced to watch the loving interaction between his wife and son driving him to a path of evil and uncontrollable jealousy. Also, Jack had no one to confide in so he resorted to unrealistic imaginations. His imaginations are further fueled by the fact that a father killed his family at this very hotel a long time ago. The potent effect of isolation also significantly affects characters of Winesburg Ohio. For instance, Enoch Robinson of “Loneliness” serves as an epitome of an isolated being. Enoch like Jack is characterized as “a complete egotist” (102). Therefore, Enoch resorts to isolation since he “[wants] most of all the people in his own mind, people with whom he could really talk, people he could harangue and scold by the hour, servants, to his fancy” (102). Enoch possesses a childlike immaturity so he indulges in unrealistic imaginations. As a result, Enoch is prevented from real social interactions depriving him of wisdom and worldly expertise. Enoch’s imaginary world escalates his dependence on imaginations. Consequently, the devastating effect of isolation claims Enoch as its victim. Enoch’s downfall begins when a female neighbor starts to visit his room. Enoch like other men becomes emotionally and sexually attracted to her. His strong feelings for her causes an inner turmoil within him since he is so used to being alone. For instance, Enoch first “[becomes] mad to make her understand [him]” but then also feels that “he would be submerged, drowned out” if the woman understood his imaginary world (106). Thus, Enoch rejects the woman forever ruining his chance of maturity. He further exacerbates his situation by saying “vile words” at the woman which results in “all the life that there had been in the room” to follow out the departing woman (107). By finally accepting the truth that his imaginary world is far from reality, Enoch sadly realizes that he will be all alone by himself. Enoch’s obsession with an imaginary world hampered his chance of love and most importantly, a vivacious life. It is evident that Enoch will now have a sad and vacant life since he is aware that he is the one to blame. Both Enoch and Jack chose isolation in order to satisfy their selfish needs. However, they did not know that isolation would get to them. Therefore, karma made a visit to both men: Enoch is now bound to be a miserable loner and Jack is simply dead.

"Tintern Abbey" and Mary Shelley

                      In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley establishes a connection between Henry Clerval and Woodsworth’s poem “Tintern Abbey”. At chapter 18, Henry Clerval is so awed by the beautiful scenery of the Rhine that Shelley quotes Woodsworth’s poem to describe him. For instance, Shelley describes that nature “haunted him like a passion” (139). Now we must wonder why Shelley chose to quote this poem at a seemingly random scene. It seems evident to me that Shelley was hoping to portray Clerval as a double of Victor. We must recollect that Victor is a passionate lover of nature as well. He even stated that nature “congregated around me: the unstained snowy mountain-top, the glittering pinnacle, the pine woods, and ragged bare ravine: the eagle, soaring amidst the clouds- they all gathered round me, and bade me to peace” when he was suffering from extreme guilt of his misdeeds (86). In other words, nature provided him “an appetite: a feeling, and a love” (139). Oh, what a coincidence! Henry Clerval as well is elevated by nature that he even states the Rhine “pleases [him] more than all those wonders” (139). Another interesting part is that both Henry and Victor have one place of nature that they greatly revere. For Henry, the beautiful landscapes of the Rhine become a place of reverence. He states that “the spirit that inhabits and guards this place has a soul more in harmony with man than those who pile the glacier” (139). The admiring tone and diction are indications of his strong affinity for this place. On the other hand, the Valley of Chamounix is a dear place to Victor’s heart. He especially admires this place since he had visited it frequently during his childhood. It can be inferred that Victor finds solace in this place since he can embrace his happy memories of childhood to forget his pain. Most likely, Henry Clerval would have found the Rhine as a place of solace like Victor if not for his tragic demise.

                Yet, I also believe that there is another reason for the incorporation of “Tintern Abbey”. I think Shelley wanted the readers to embrace the romanticists’ love for nature. Romanticists are famously known for their passionate predilection of nature so it was inherent for Shelley to do so. Also, Shelley like us (teenagers) was in some part under the influence of peer pressure. Her close group of friends consisted of Romantic poets and scholars. Her husband, Percy Shelley, and close friend, Lord Byron, were both imperative figures to Romantic poetry. Furthermore, Shelley herself has a personal love for nature in the form of Scotland. Shelley was sent to Scotland at the age of 15 due to the growing animosity between her and her stepmother. Like Victor, Shelley appreciated Scotland because she was able to escape her unhappy family life. She viewed the vast landscapes of Scotland as a place of serenity and unconditional love. We may never know why Shelley chose to quote “Tintern Abbey” but I have a strong feeling that it is tied to Shelley’s personal life. (She was always an emotionally charged individual throughout her life.)