In the poem “Because I could not stop for death,” Emily Dickinson portrays an encounter with death and immortality. Dickinson uses this contact to demonstrate that death is inevitable. Emily Dickinson employs Personification, metaphors, and symbols to explore the process of acceptance of mortality. Through this, she can convey her message that death should not be feared because it is a natural part of life.

From the very beginning of the poem “Becuase I Could Not Stop Death,” Dickinson utilizes personification to present death as a mannerly suitor. Death is introduced as a gentleman in the first stanza, where the speaker states “Because I could not stop for Death, He kindly stopped for me.” (line 1-2). This implies that the speaker was too busy with her life and the things it contains for death, but death was kind enough to stop for her. By stating “he kindly stopped for me,” the speaker gives mortality human characteristics. By doing so, Dickinson makes death seem less frightening. The personification of death continues throughout the poem as the speaker says,”we slowly drove, he knew no haste, and I had put away, My labor, and my leisure too, For his civility.” (line 5-8). By asserting ” he knew no haste. ” the speaker is saying death was in no hurry. Through this Dickinson suggests that death was in control and therefore was in no hurry to get to the final destination because he knows what awaits. Additionally, the speaker insinuates that she puts away her work and free time for death because he is polite, by stating “and I had put away, my labor, and my leisure too, for his civility.” (line 6-8). Which further establishes that the speaker perceives death as someone that is polite and thoughtful instead of someone that is intimidating and disturbing, therefore causing her to set aside everything in her life for death. Through personification, Emily Dickinson expresses death in a non-intimidating way that makes death less terrifying to the audience. As a result, this causes the audience to check their opinions of death and be more willing to accept it.

Emily Dickinson uses the sunset and the house as a symbol of mortality. Through this Dickinson can show the speakers acceptance of death. Dickinson employs the symbol of the sunset in the third stanza of the poem as the speaker states “we passed the setting sun (line 12).” This is significant because it conveys that it was the end of the day and the end of one’s life. The setting sun symbolizes death because as it set the world became dark and cold much like the underground grave that some one gets buried in. Dickinson also utilizes the house in the poem to symbolize death. The usage of the house as a symbol for the speaker’s grave can be seen in the fourth stanza of the poem, as it is explicitly stated, ” we paused before a house that seemed, A swelling of the ground; The roof was scarcely visible. The cornice but a mound.”(line 17-20) .The description of the house “A swelling of the ground” makes it clear that it is a grave. Therefore the house symbolizes the speaker’s grave meaning that death took her to her burial. Moreover, the speaker calling the grave a house suggests that she is dying and that will be her new home. In summation, the fact that the speaker displays no discomfort and does not run away from death illustrates acceptance.

Through the usage of the carriage as a metaphor within the poem, Dickinson portrays how one proceeds the final passage to death and immortality. In the first stanza of the poem, the speaker says ” The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.” (line 3-4). This Indicates that within the carriage were only the speaker, death, and immortality. The fact that the carriage contains immortality lets the audience know that the carriage is not like any other form of transportation. Instead, it is one that signals a person’s passage to the afterlife. Furthermore, immortality being within the carriage implies that the speaker will have eternal life. The carriage demonstrates the journey to death because it was the transport that death drove to the speakers grave. For instance, this is concluded as the speaker states in the fourth stanza, “we paused before a house that seemed; A swelling of the ground.” (line 17-20). Which expresses that death and the speaker stopped the carriage before the so called “house” that is a grave, Which further emphasizes that the carriage is the passage to death. In brief, the carriage metaphorically represents the speaker’s transition to death and immortality

In conclusion, through the application of personification, symbols, and metaphors in the poem “Because I could not Stop Death,” Emily Dickinson demonstrates the process of coming to terms with death. She displays that death is not something to be feared, but in fact, a
thing to be seen as part of life. Dickinson utilizes personification of death to make it less alarming to the audience. Emily Dickinson also uses the sunset and the house to symbolize death, through this she conveys her acceptance. Additionally, through the usage of the carriage as metaphor Dickinson portrays the passage to death and the after life.