Analysis of a Poem

Dickinson portrays many themes in her poems including but not limited to, the meaning of death, the nature of identity, the beauty and mystery of nature, the torment and ecstasy of love, and the majesty of God (Sylvan 552).  It has become evident that interpreting her work is no easy task. She is known for her notoriously difficult poetry that has stimulated indeterminable and intense critical debates (Bouson 1).

Those—dying, then

Those—dying, then

Know where they went

They went to God’s Right Hand—

The hand is amputated now

And God cannot be found—

The abdication of Belief

Makes the Behavior small—

Better an ignis fatuus

Than no illume at all—

This poem caught my attention because it was blatantly dark and forward. An ignis fatuus is a phosphorescent light that hovers over swampy ground, hence something deceptive. In this poem Dickinson is questioning what happens after death. It seems that she is willing to accept that there may be no God to go to after death. Yet she finds solace in knowing that having faith is what makes most people behave so having faith is better than having none at all. Thus, an illusion is better than the absence of on altogether. In an essay titled “Love, Terror, and Transcendence in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry” Hughes states that Dickinson’s spiritual questions and doubts unfold around the notions that there is a transcendent god, one chance at life which may or may not be succeeded by an afterlife, and Jesus whose exemplary love and suffering communicate one’s most extreme spiritual experiences (Hughes 1). It is very relatable that Dickinson would believe in God yet question his existence and what happens after death. It is a question that perhaps no one will ever be able to answer yet many, multiple religions and dare I say all individuals, will search for an answer and create their own belief systems. This is one reason Dickinson is so popular. Her poetry is relatable to anyone regardless of sex, religion, or culture. I think this gives us further insight as to why Dickinson secluded herself as much as she did and never married. Living in solitude and secluding herself from the world may have been her way of suffering and tormenting herself in order to achieve the greatest spiritual experience possible. What is extraordinary about the level of transcendent and spiritual experience that she wanted to achieve is that she was very conscious of the very real possibility that God did not exist.