Death in Emily Dickinson's Poetry
             While Emily Dickinson's life is well documented, it is important that readers understand how significant events in her life impacted her views on death, sanity, and nature. Born in Amherst, MA in 1830, she was encouraged at a young age to pursue academics, which she excelled in. She attended Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts for one year, however, she withdrew shortly after for unknown reasons. The most significant years of her life are those from 1850-1862, which marked a prolific period in her writing as well as the development of her writing style.
             An important aspect in the development of Dickinson's writing and her themes is her personal identification with the deaths of important people around her. Dickinson was deeply affected by the loss of young, close friends such as Sophia Holland, Leonard Humphrey, and Benjamin Newton; all of whom died before she reached maturity. Their deaths along with the death of her mother were a constant reminder, especially to nineteenth century Americans and Emily Dickinson, of the fragility of life. While the death of friends played an important role in her obsession about dying, her environment also contributed to her curiosity. The Dickinson's orchard adjoined a burial ground and funerals in procession were quite visible, therefore making death a constant aspect of daily life. It was not the familiarity with death that inspired Dickinson to write, it was her fear of what the afterlife would bring. She proclaimed that her motivation to write about death was further based on emotional responses which included feelings of guilt, fear of abandonment, and projection of anger.
             After her years at Mount Holyoke, Dickinson left Massachusetts only on several occasions, and towards her middle age, she never left the comfort of her home. This period of isolation allowed Dickinson to work undisturbed on some of her best poetry. Many critics...