Thomas H. Johnson calls Death "one of the great characters of literature." But exactly what kind of person is he? Emily Dickinson often personifies Death in her poetry. In "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" and "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" death is perceived in contradictory ways. How Dickinson expresses Death's mission will make the reader question if he is friend or foe.
             "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" leaves the reader with a serene feeling towards death and the afterlife. In the poem, Death gracefully carries the speaker in his carriage slowly and peacefully through time. It is ironic that Dickinson writes of Death's civility and politeness when one would think of Death as arrogant and rude. The poem has a certain calm and tranquil feeling to it that makes the reader think of death in a different way than one usually would. Death is usually linked with thoughts of violence and rage, not with a tranquil ride in a carriage. In stanza two, Dickinson writes:
             The speaker respects Death throughout the journey and for the fact that he is not hurrying to arrive at their destination. Because Death politely escorts the speaker to her eternity, the reader assumes that the afterlife awaiting her is a pleasant one.
             "I Heard a Fly Buzz when I Died" does not give the reader the same serene feeling toward death and the afterlife. In the poem's final stanza, Dickinson says:
             With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz,
             And then the windows failed, and then
             This leaves the reader with an uncertain view on the afterlife. The word "light" in this stanza can be associated with some heavenly existence or higher power that awaits the speaker. However, the buzzing fly blocks her view of where she is heading and the light that was once there is now gon
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