Short like much of Dickinson's poetry, 39 revolves around the narrator's inner struggle of dealing with the grief associated with the loss of a loved one, with two specific loses being brought up (I never lost as much but twice - /Twice have I stood a beggar). Given the special mention given to these two, it can be assumed that the speaker (most likely Dickinson herself) is referring to the deaths of her mother and father. If there is any doubt that "lost" is not being used as a euphemism for death, the use of the word sod (And that was in the sod) to refer to the burial of her parents underground confirms it.
For Dickinson, the concept of God and the speaker's relationship with him is not a fixed point or static by any means. Through the loss of her parents, Dickinson feels like a beggar, robbed of their warmth and love, and in her grief, she blames God for taking them away in the final line of the first stanza (Before the door of God!) However, following this, blame, the hole left by her parents' deaths is filled to some degree (Angels - twice descending/Reimbursed my store - ). These figurative angels are most likely Philips Lord and Charles Wadsworth, male friends and quite possibly the objects of Dickinson's affections.
This confusion as the exact nature of the figure of god is represented by the three titles that she bestows upon him; Burglar (a thief in the night that steals from her), Banker (a money-lender of loved ones who gives as well as takes), and finally Father (a benevolent figure who dotes on his daughter Dickinson by gracing her with new loved ones). It is important to note that Dickinson also bestows three titles upon God, intentionally mirroring the concept of the trinity central to Christianity. However, this final optimistic title is rendered moot, as the final line (I am poor once more!) represents a return of the thief aspect of God.
I find that tidbit of her parents and Phillips Lord and Charles Wadsworth quite interesting. I have never fully looked into Emily Dickinson's biography besides the basics. I agree with the whole three titles to God and how those are to be interpreted. I just wonder what the reference the last line is making.
ReplyDeleteI love how you called attention to the dynamic (as opposed to static) relationship between God and the speaker.This realization helped me to resolve some of the tension or "confusion" elicited from the speakers grief. However, this same realization lead me to a slightly different interpretation of the line "Angels-twice descending/Reimbursed my store." While it could refer to Lord and Wadsworth or even more broadly to the friends that gave her comfort in these two significant deaths, the speaker may also be referring to the spirits of her dead parents. Parents teach us how to comfort and how to be comforted (in most cases). In this sense, the "angels" of her parents were brought into being through the speakers process of grieving.
ReplyDelete