Religion can bring you faith, but there will always be an unquenchable curiosity inherent in all humans. The last line, “Narcotics cannot still the Tooth / That nibbles at the soul –”, demonstrates that the preacher’s hollow gestures and hallelujahs cannot point the way to faith nor calm their own doubts as well as the doubts of others. This reflects on Dickinson’s inner fears, that despite how much she believes in an afterlife, that the lack of proof she talks about throughout the poem could, in fact, prove that she is wrong. This shows incredible maturity, as it isn’t easy to confront your own
