Emily Dickinson: A Narrow Fellow in the Grass
A Modernist poem written during the age of Romanticism, Emily Dickinson’s A Narrow Fellow in the Grass displays nature in a rather unique and peculiar fashion. The poem itself also delves into several other topics, such as fear, awe, religion, and sex.
Throughout the course of the play, a young boy-the narrator of Dickinson’s poem- meticulously describes the sighting of a slithering snake as an encounter with a “narrow fellow in the grass”. The readers are at first, tricked by Dickinson’s use of personification into believing that there is an actual man who is hiding in the grass. For instance, Dickinson’s use of the terms “him”, ‘Nature’s People”, and “fellow” creates an image of an actual man. …show more content…
In this particular Biblical story, the snake captures the awe and amazement of Eve and Adam, thus successfully ruining their innocence and bringing mankind to their demise. The snake in this poem has two forms, just like the snake in Adam and Eve’s has two forms. If the boy narrating in Dickinson’ poem were to symbolize the youthful purity of Adam and Eve, then the boy’s awe towards the snake is one of grave concern and fear. This can be reflected in the last lines of a Narrow Fellow in the Grass, where the boy explains how meeting the snake alone has always created a tightness in breathing (the “tighter breathing” referred to in Line 23) and a feeling of disturbing emptiness (the “zero at the bone” referred to in Line 24). The tightness in breathing is a typical experience for those facing in fear and even for those engaging in sexual intercourse. If we were to extend this Biblical reference, the sexual intercourse between Adam and Eve which marked humanity’s doom parallels the young boy’s fear and corruption. “But when a Boy and Barefoot” in line 11 of the poem further suggests the young boy’s innocence and vulnerability to danger. Moreover, the fact how the poem shifts from an innocently inquisitive tone (with the boy detailing his observations and asking the readers questions) to a ominous threatening tone (with the boy suddenly talking
A Modernist poem written during the age of Romanticism, Emily Dickinson’s A Narrow Fellow in the Grass displays nature in a rather unique and peculiar fashion. The poem itself also delves into several other topics, such as fear, awe, religion, and sex.
Throughout the course of the play, a young boy-the narrator of Dickinson’s poem- meticulously describes the sighting of a slithering snake as an encounter with a “narrow fellow in the grass”. The readers are at first, tricked by Dickinson’s use of personification into believing that there is an actual man who is hiding in the grass. For instance, Dickinson’s use of the terms “him”, ‘Nature’s People”, and “fellow” creates an image of an actual man. …show more content…
In this particular Biblical story, the snake captures the awe and amazement of Eve and Adam, thus successfully ruining their innocence and bringing mankind to their demise. The snake in this poem has two forms, just like the snake in Adam and Eve’s has two forms. If the boy narrating in Dickinson’ poem were to symbolize the youthful purity of Adam and Eve, then the boy’s awe towards the snake is one of grave concern and fear. This can be reflected in the last lines of a Narrow Fellow in the Grass, where the boy explains how meeting the snake alone has always created a tightness in breathing (the “tighter breathing” referred to in Line 23) and a feeling of disturbing emptiness (the “zero at the bone” referred to in Line 24). The tightness in breathing is a typical experience for those facing in fear and even for those engaging in sexual intercourse. If we were to extend this Biblical reference, the sexual intercourse between Adam and Eve which marked humanity’s doom parallels the young boy’s fear and corruption. “But when a Boy and Barefoot” in line 11 of the poem further suggests the young boy’s innocence and vulnerability to danger. Moreover, the fact how the poem shifts from an innocently inquisitive tone (with the boy detailing his observations and asking the readers questions) to a ominous threatening tone (with the boy suddenly talking