Death

One of the more prevailing themes in Emily's poetry is her preoccupation with death. It almost seems at times that she is trying to come to terms with the idea of death by writing down her feelings about the passing of loved ones. In Poem 181 for instance Emily writes about a deer killed by a hunter. She states that it is after this deer is shot by the hunter that it jumps higher than it ever has in its life. She attributes this to the "ecstasy of death." This wording makes it seem as if Emily considers death to be a pleasant experience.

In Poem 1108 Emily describes the activity that goes on in a home after a person has died. It is apparent from her description that Emily has paid close attention to the details of dealing with a death. One can almost see Emily sitting in her...