Emily Dickinson Mortality

Because I could not stop for Death: A TPCASTT Essay

In the blank verse, first-person poem, “Because I could not stop for Death,” by Emily Dickinson, the speaker pensively describes her carriage ride with Death to the realm of eternity, hinting at a deeper meaning of spirituality using visual imagery of a schoolhouse, a field of grain, and a setting sun to represent her mortality and the symbolism of the daylight fading, representing the woman’s transition into the next world, and additionally unveiling the message of constant conflict between the realms of mortality and immortality at the end of one’s life.
Dickinson begins the spiritual poem by introducing us to the female speaker, who is engulfed in her own mortality, the “kindly,” suitor-like …show more content…
While she rides by, withdrawn from this mortal realm, both her own mortality and the promise of an immortal life in another world fight for the speaker, with Death being the great resolver by taking the woman’s soul. This poem’s message of conflict is significant due to Dickinson’s views on death, and the next life. She believed in a separate spiritual realm for those who were elite in creativity and thought herself to be one of them. This poem then takes on a much more personal meaning for Dickinson, with it being a representation of what she believes will happen to her when she dies. Having the interpretation that her life will be the prize between the realms of mortality and immortality as Death takes her on to the next realm, where she will be spiritually wedded possibly to God and led into a new creative spirit world. This poem is then extremely significant not only to comprehending her ideas on death, but it’s also the key to understanding Emily Dickinson’s mindset as a