Expository Essay

Illuminating the Story Behind the Woman in White

When the name Emily Dickinson comes up, people often think of her poetry. Her writings were full of emotion, perceptions, and wit, yet these are not words most people think of to describe the author herself. Aside from her verse, people know Dickinson for her reclusive tendencies, rarely exiting her home and only doing so adorned in all white. She was an avid reader who spent most of her time in her home, gardening and visiting with select close relatives; but before 1860, Dickinson led a different lifestyle (Emily Dickinson’s Biography). To investigate the early life of Dickinson, Jerome Charyn wrote a novel entitled The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson in which he writes using Dickinson’s own voice and tells her entire story, the life of an outspoken young woman to solitary poetess.

Dickinson grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts as one of three children. Although close with both her brother and sister, she had many friends in the neighborhood. She attended schooling through one year of college, as her father wanted his daughters educated. Dickinson had a relatively normal childhood filled with family, friends, and fun. The most notable influence scholars have identified as an inspiration to her poetry is the whereabouts of Dickinson’s childhood home. During her early years many relatives passed away, and the view from her bedroom contained the city cemetery. Not only did Dickinson experience the pain of death of people she knew, but having a view of the cemetery, she witnessed the frequent burials that took place in town (Emily Dickinson’s Biography). With this exposure, she became fascinated with immortality, a subject that would later show up in her poetry. 

One of the most notable times in Dickinson’s life was her time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. While some women attended schooling at the time, not many went on past the equivalent of high school. Although her father wanted all of his children educated, even he was weary about her continuing that far in her schooling. Nonetheless Dickinson was a part of one of the first classes at Mount Holyoke. Now the place is a women’s college, but at the time of her attendance, religion was a major part of the curriculum. Dickinson resided with her cousin Lavinia, and while she excelled in her studies, she lacked in the religious aspect the founder Mary Lyon put such a large emphasis on. Lyon envisioned higher education for women of all socioeconomic backgrounds, focusing on science which was less available to women, but she also held meetings with the students in which she influenced them to profess their faith (Mary). It is in this setting that Dickinson spoke out. She was unsure about her religious beliefs, and she would often refuse to admit to the presence of a god as well as aim her comments personally at Lyon and her views (Charyn). Having the guts to stand up to the head of the seminary she attended does not fit in with the picture many hold of Dickinson. Be that as it may, she left after one year, maybe as a result of the focus on religion. 

One of the focuses of Charyn’s book and the topic of study for many scholars is what happened that caused Dickinson to go from an outspoken social butterfly to a recluse who seldom saw people other than her brother and his wife. One explanation Charyn examines in more detail is her love life (Charyn). While the poet never married, she did have many male acquaintances throughout her early years, some of whom she became seriously involved with. Charyn makes up some fictional male characters, but some real beau’s of Dickinson include Benjamin Newton, George Gould, Judge Otis Lord, and a mystery man whom she wrote to as “Master” (Emily Dickinson’s Love). One lengthy and notable relation was with Lord, and this occurred during a tumultuous time in her life when both of her parents fell ill and her mother ended up dying. Some scholars suggest that these hardships accompanied by her relationships ending caused Dickinson to spend more and more of her time within her home.

Even when Dickinson resided in her home, her poetry was full of emotion and feeling. She took inspiration from other poets at the time, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Keats were among her favorites (Emily Dickinson). Some of her poems were also inspired by former relationships or her constant view of the cemetery, but some came out of relationships she continued to have which are documented in her letters. Whilst her public persona was that of a recluse, Dickinson continued her outspoken manner in all forms of her writing. Per the custom of the time to destroy a person’s letters upon their death scholars estimate only a tenth of her correspondence was found, but even that fraction shows her continued love, warm family relations, and wit in expressing her thoughts (About). The world may never know who the mysterious “Master” was, the exact cause of her social reclusion, the specific inspirations for her writing, but Dickinson should be known for her existence as an eloquent poetess and the outspoken woman behind the ghostly figure illuminated in white.