"Because I Could Not Stop for Death -" by 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 drew 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 – in the Ground – 

Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day

I first surmised the Horses’ Heads

Were toward Eternity – 

I have always been fascinated by Emily Dickinson, and thus “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” seemed like the perfect choice. The poem is interesting because of the personification of death. The way she likens the phenomenon to a chauffeur makes the end come alive all too soon. The contrast between immortality and mortality draws the reader’s attention to the possibility of an eternal end. Many people see life as a journey however Dickinson illustrates the journey of death. We feel as if we are on this journey with her as she describes passing the fields where children “strove” (notice the past tense, perhaps Dickinson is using some foreshadowing here), she passes the fields of gazing grain, she passes the setting sun, all heading to eternity. Dickinson leaves the readers grappling with this contrast: is she saying death is the end or the beginning? The character of death seems to be driving this carriage, and “the Horses’ Heads / Were toward Eternity -” In my opinion, the most compelling part of the poem is the capital way she describes him. Death almost sounds friendly at some points and yet equally chilling. Notice that she writes that He “kindly” stopped for her. He didn’t just grab her like many people would describe mortality. Additionally, he “knew no haste” implies that he is gentle, he takes his time. Death does not rush nor steals you from your life, but is almost a taxicab to take you to your next destination – eternity. And yet, she includes the line, “The Dews drew quivering and chill,” which automatically puts the reader’s fear of death back into place. I almost imagine death to be civil and polite, however cool and civil.

Notice that she capitalizes “Setting Sun” and continues to say that “He passed us” rather than they passed it. The Setting Sun is conspicuously synonymous with death.  The Setting Sun serves as a concrete metaphor for death, which is why it makes sense that he passed her. It is easy to overlook the fact that death passed them because it is put in the next stanza, separated from the notion that they passed the Setting Sun. However, the space between the two lines also manages to highlight the notion.