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8lift* and see If I could not learn what It had to teach,and not, when 1 came to die* discover that I had notlived. I did not wish to live what was not life,living la ao dear; nor did I with to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. 1 wanted tolive deep and suclc out all the marrow of life, to liveso sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all thatwas not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, todrive life into a corner, and reduce It to its lowestterms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to getthe whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish itsmeanness to the worldi or if it were sublime, to knowit by experience, and be able to give a true account ofit in m next excursion. For most men, it appears tome, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether itis of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastilyconcluded that it is the chief end of man here to"glorify God and enjoy hi forever." tfhlle Bally Dickinson would not have followed ThoreauIn all his philosophical searchings, she shared his lovefor living.Both were interested in discerning for them-selves without relying upon someone else.Essence andessential are common words in her vocabulary.to live deeply and to suck the marrow of life.loved God's creation.She soughtShe deeplyShe wished to probe and to scrutinizelife very carefully for herself without taking simply whatsomeone had said.life had to offer.Emily wished to feast upon the best thatShe preferred to reject the curds andwhey that most people were content to accept.She could aab have searched and questioned as she feltcompelled to do without withdrawing.The province of thispaper, therefore, is to reveal Imily Dickinson*s concept of***Walden, p. ?k.

God which resulted from her personal confinement and subsequent delving as a "solitary dissenter."

CHAPTER IIRELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDReaction to religious training generally occurs in oneof two ways. A person may embrace the -eacniug and allowhis life to be governed accordingly: he reacts as the teacherwished.On the other hand, a person may refuse to be moldedIn the pattern; he is labeled a rebel.This occurs oftenwhen an individual i sensitive and deeply religious.In-numerable are the parents who have carefully instructed theirchildren in the "ways of righteousness," but have been forcedto witness the rejection of "sound doctrine."Emily Dickinson received great amounts of religioustraining in specified and concentrated degrees.Her reactionwas not at all what was expected of heri she did not immediately fall into the mold shaped for her.Dickinson's home,school, and church approached her with the same dogma, eachfro Its own particular point of observation.rejected.The dogaa wasShe was unwilling to accept blindly that whichwas presented to her as absolute truth.An understanding ofthis, the greatest decision in her life, will answer a greatmany questions about Sally Dickinsons theology.the province of Chapter Two of this study is to presentthe early religious Influences in the life of Emily Dickinson.The influences of religious training In childhood and In10

11early womanhood proved to b#fell#eon troll lag fore# whichshaped tht lift she wat to live In near complete seclusion* Snilr Dickinson, like ssost New Inglanders of a centuryago# wat saturated In the Bible from early childhood.TheXing Jaa.es Bible wat the greatest tingle influence upon andsouret for folly Dickinson's language and thought. Thit lnflutnot should bt expected of any Hew Inglander"Iwm early la the ttcond quarter of the nineteenth century and educated In the latter-day puritanit of the tfastachutetfcs hinterland. Detail# of the conservative. atmotphtrt In tht Conntctlcut lifer Valley have been- frequently used to supplement the limited number ofdeaoattrabla facta concerning Sally Dickinson's earlylift* # « libit reading and study were part of herexistence: at home, at church, and at school tht watsubjected to the pressures @f individual and collectivesearches for evidence of hope and grace.1Bible teaching wat net only expected* but it wat stronglyencouraged,m writing to Lou let and Iranets Ifororott,lally mentioned htr father1t concern over her reading.Itadvised that tht should read Biblical stories and give upwllght reading.« {letters* II. 42?, #285)Enjoyment inalmost any form wat frowned upon by the Puritan fathers, andlight reading wat ntvtr encouraged*tally Diokinton't great familiarity with the Bible It h t m by htr rtpeated references to it.in hit very finebook concerning her reading* Capps point# out that thereferred to the Bible fa* more often than to any other9source.*1Capps, p. 2?.2Ibid.» p. 3 #

12Dickinson states that she never consciously copied anyother poet." I narked a U s ein One Verse—because I met itafter I sade I t — a n d never consciously touch a paint, mixedby another person." (Letters. XI, 415, #2?1)While one hasno reason to doubt the honesty of this statement* it isinteresting to note the ever-present Biblical influence overher language, illustrations, and subject Material.the *aJor portion of her usageHowever,of the Bible is not incopying but in alluding to the Bible and in making cocsentsconcerning the account.Although SOBS feel that she unkindly satirises thealble in "The Bible is an Antique V o l u o e — " (Poems, III,106?, #135*0# other critics see this treatment as sere playfulness.MIn a letter to Kr«. J. s. Holland, she stated,Ou«»s 1 and the Bible sill stove to sots old fashioned spotwhere we'll feel at Hose. M (Letters. II, 511, #395)Again,"old fashioned" may be used as satire, or it isay suggest alegitli&ate wish.Dickinson exhibits her interest in theBible, and her familiarity with it is manifested.She indi-cated that she did not wish to abandon the Bible and all itsteaching but was sore interested in finding a place thatwould release her to enjoy free searching of the scriptures.In their nuaeroue references and allusions to theBible, Emily Dickinson's letters and poems attest to its

13Importance In her life.-' She had question that neededclarification.Austin Warren suggests, "She neither rejectsnor accepts It [the Bible] without question and reservations.This statement well characterizes the attitude of Easilythroughout her life when any topic arose which she feltneeded special consideration and attention.Especially werethese questionings and reservations coraon in her religiouslife.Allusion has already been made to the influence ofEEily1s father upon her life.Edward Dickinson was a keyfigure in the civic life of Amherst.He seems to have beena forceful, dominating power In the lives of his family.Especially does this appear to be true in the life of hisdaughter.It is quite likely that he was the dominant forcein her life for at least the first twenty-five years.Edward Dickinson ruled his family at a monarch.Emily*sreferences to him are numerous and often filled with ahaunting sense of awe.John B. Plckard, in his new book Sally Dickinson, givesan Interesting and vivid picture of Emily*s father.Edward Dickinson embodied all the aristocratic qualitiesof a sffiall-town squire. Throughout his life he was Capps* book dealing with Dickinsons reading is acutelyImportant here. In Appendix A he lists the 341 referencesand allusions to the Bible In the poems and letters. Appendix C lists these references and allusions according to booksin the Bible. Austin Warren, "Emily Dickinson," Sewanee Heview. IXV(Autumn, 195?)* 573-

1&guided by this stern sense of duty, lightsous andrigid* he never allowed hie emotions to Interfere with.his role as « responsible leader of the town* Bven hisrsllgious conversion . . was later phrased la a drylegal manner and offloially dated. He ruled his houselike an absolute monarch* rearing his children withfull assuraaoe that they would beoome Christianoitisen*.58* F. Whleher states, "To telly Bioklnson her father was acardinal fact.Only when he is taken for granted* besideher and in htr* can her personality be oorreotly inter*preted.VThioher goes ahead to point out that telly stoodin no little awe and fear of her father.KacQregor Jenkins has a great m mabout the lekiason family*oewieats to make"Of all their family char-aoterlstlos this sense of breathlessness9 of a desire to beabout the business of their lives* a fearless stepping forward to meet what waited them was the overshadowing one."?The image of Emily's father is eomplex and not a littleIntriguing#Is ruled his family ompletely and firmly. Attimes he seemtd warm* but he never appeared approachable Tenderness was seen* however* sternness arose more often,le ooouplsd a plaee as religious guardian in her life. . . le was her pastor if anyone eould be said to haveooouplsd suoh a position with so illusive and so unconventional a parishioner* U s e Emily grew up in%oha ». Plekard* f l M g J M M S I M *interpretation (Hew Iork* 1 W ) » p.10.MSA6tfhioher* p. 2?.?Maogre gor Jenkins* Emily DiskInson*" I S»ejghbor cBoston# lyjwJ* p« «o*Friend andr.i r i iirrt'iii. iir i n in

15an era of stern orthodoxy» and her parents were entirely conventional In their attitude toward religiousquestions. Self-assurance was a vital trait# yet he had Emily's "soundness" cheeked lest he had failed in teaching her religiously.Soundness* as used in the Bible* oeans healthful.To HewEngland CalvinIsts, it suggested agreement with orthodoxviews.Although KacGregor Jenkln's father was puzzled, hepronounced Emily sound.'Sally resaesbered something of theexperience in a letter to Hlgginson.She said, M I talkedwith Father's Clergyman once." (Letters, II, 5 8, #450)Even in reminiscing she portrayed the clergyman as belongingto her father and not to her.Emily*s own statements about her father suggest variedfeelings.The chief lapresalon is tOitfb he could not bereached or bothered by her.While writing to Emily Fowler,she asked, "Did Mr. Dickinson give you a message fro me?He promised to be faithful, but I dont suppose Divines thinkearthly loves of much consequence." (Letters. I, 154, #61)She placed hi In other than an ordinary earthly station.He was removed from the mundane ordinary affairs of paltryhuuan emotions.Emily requested a bottle of medicine fro her brother because, she said, "I do not like to ask Father,because he's always In such a hurry." (Letters, I, 278, #148)She again suggested that her father was removed fro her8Ibid., p. 80. Ibid.

16realm of existence.Her father was one who was busy andInvolved, but her mother possessed no real entity of herown.Emily said, "Ky Mother does not care for thought—andFather# too busy with his Briefs—to notice what we do."(Letters* lit#261) The overshadowing of her motherby her father Is more fully Illustrated by Emily's correspondence with Thomas Higglnson;"I never had a mother*Isuppose a mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled. " (Letters. II, **75, #342b)"I always ran Home to Awewhen a child* If anything befell mi.He was an awful Mother but I liked him better than none." (Letters, u . 517, #1*05)These two quotations vividly express her dependence upon herfather; furthermore, she often exhibits great confldenee inhis judgment. (Letters. I. 25k, #127)Emily satirically spoke concerning this "Awen when shementioned her father's careful choice of reading materialfor her."He buys me many Books—but begs me not to readthem—because he fears they Joggle the mind." (Letters. 11,#261) Concerned with her reading Higglnson said. "Herfather was not severe I should think but remote.He did notwish them [the Dickinson children] to read anything but theBible.n (Letters. II. 75 #3**2b) Higglnson further pointedout that Emily * s father was displeased when he saw herreading something of which he did not approve.Emily often spoke of her father's remoteness whichclearly affected her relationship with him."My father

1?only reads on Sunday—he reads lonely and rigorous books*M(Letters* II, *73. #3*2a)She mentioned her father1s"lonely Life and his lonelier Death" In another letter toHigginson. (Letters. II, 551, #*5?)Emily Dickinson never seemed to be able to Identifyherself as the daughter of Edward Dickinson to the extentthat there could be real and complete love, confidence,trust, and common possession, for she always mentioned any*thing that belonged to the family as being her father*s.She never crossed her "Father*s ground." (Letters. 11, *60,#330)Ken visited her "Father*s house." (Letters. 11, *0*,#261)And she talked to her "Father's Clergyman" on anoccasion. (Letters. II, 5*8, #*50)All of these indications of powerful parental influenceupon the life of Emily Dickinson have been pointed out because later in this study special notice *111 be taken ofthe existing parallels between her attitude toward herfather and attitudes expressed toward her God.Vhicherasserts that she defied her father because deep within herwas an instinct for rlghtness that could not be denied.10Similar conclusions can be gained In her relationship toGod.A third influence which helped to shape Emily Dickinson'stheology was her religious schooling.The first manifes-tation of her refusal to accept the strict theological* lfhieher» p. 28.

18teaching# of her day occurred quickly. Her reaction# whanpressured to be "converted" by har teachers and friends#became puzzling to her friends and her*Host New England schools were begun by religious groupswith the Idea of Instructing students both secularly andreligiously. The religious training usually overshadowedthe secular training# or the secular training was so saturated with religious teaching that It was extremely difficultfor students to separate the two.It seemed to Bally thateverything was too arbitrary. All plans were intended tocontrol her to such a degree that Eaily felt restrained andchanneledi therefore, she simply could not quietly acquiesceto those restrictions and limitations.Amherst Academy# Amherst College, and Mount HolyokeSeminary were alike conceived in the faith that thespread of Christian doctrines as Interpreted by orthodo* Congregationalism would free the world of itsmiseries and corruptions, The explosive force of thisconviction, thunderedfrom a thousand pulpits, wasincalculable. 1The premise upon which these schools were establishedand sustained was one of rigid conviction and commitment tothe Calvlnistically oriented Congregatlonallst church fathersof Mew England. Students who attended these schools wereexpected to make known their conversions and plans forpublic service# usually in missions, by publicly confessingtheir faith.11Ibid., p. 41.

19Although Amherst College and Amherst Academy were notformally connected, they were closely associated.Kany ofthe Academy teachers were either gradates or students ofthecollege*The philosophy of the College was distinctlyand clearly statedtoyPresident Stearns In his inauguraladdress on November 22. 185%.He stated* "Xoung gentlemen,your highest attainment is the attainment of right relationstoward God. and a concordance with the harmonies of theuniverse.''12 This challenge was given to every AmherstCollege student, and in reality, it was given to every per*son who came under the influence of the orthodox church ofthe early nineteenth century. Dickinson was no exception.Furthermore, she was challenged often and forcefully by herfamily, friends* school, and church.Bevivals involving the students of the Amherst schoolswere common occurrences. Sally related to Abiah Hoot, in aletter dated 18&6. the conducting of a revival in the college."There is now a revival in College & many hearts havegiven way to the claims of God." (Letters. I, 31, #11)While Emily often stated that she loved her teachers andenjoyed her school experiences, there began to arise moreand sore consternation concerning her lack of religiousconviction. Her closest friends, such as Abiah. were gravelyconcerned. Emily expressed conoern over her inability12Hllllam S. Tyler. 4 History of Amherst College (HewXork. 1895)» P« 1*0.

20to make public confession and experience conversion# as soasany of her acquaintances were doing.Careful note will betaken of these statements in the section of this studydealing with her rejection of the pressures placed upon herto become a practicing orthodox Congregational1st*While Emily had chosen to stand apart at Amherst Academy the real test was soon to arise during the coming yearat Mount Holyoke Seminary.The Seminary was proud of itsrecord of sending numerous missionaries into foreign fields.Miss lyon* the founder and first principal of the Seminary*was interested in maintaining the reputation of the schoolas an institution of piety.Mo person was thought to beable to resist the many encouragements to do right whilestudying at this school.Pressures were brought from every side to bear upon theyoung female students to make their choice for God and tobegin lives of dedication and service.Emily could notexpress that which she did not believei therefore* sheremained one of the "lingering bad ones."Her letters arevery revealing about the feelings she harbored during thistime of decision* and they will be noted carefully during thefollowing chapter.The eminent church historian Williston Walker* inspeaking of the Congregational church of Dickinson's day.states* "There can be no doubt that the prevailing doctrinalpositions of Congregationalism were then and still are

21essentially Calvinlstlc.nJAustin Warren lays, "Herrearing was In Trinitarian Congregationalism—often In NewEngland villages referred to a s — I n contrast to Unitarianheresy—the Orthodox Church. m 1 *Both of these statementssuggest the restricted nature of the theology of her day#The theology of Calvin Is carefully outlined with absolutelyno room for deviation#fo sake the theology even more specificnnd restricted# it was Trinitarian theology, according toWarren, leaving no roo» for confusion with those exponentsof the feared Unitarian theology.Calvin taught that the spoken word uas an absolutenecessity for the existence of the church.He believed thatdoctrine accurately taught produced erobers of a physical15church} error prevented the church*s existence.A. C.McGlffert, the reputable historian of Christian thought,gives an excellent discussion of Calvin's theology inProtestant Thought Before Kant.Calvin*s concept was ofGod's overmastering power in contrast to the nothingness ofman.This doctrine of God is the preeKlnent doctrine ofCalvin's theology.Calvin taught that tsan was to be13»illlston Walker, A fflstqry of he CongrffifClonalChurches in the United States (Hew Xork,, . 3 8.l\farren, p. 572.1 John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion(Philadelphia, 1960), p. 1011 "ft.16A. C. McGiffert, Protestant Thought Before Kant (HewYork, 1962), p. 86.

22struck with awe and fear In any confrontation with God.exists totally and only for the sake of God*s gl

Emlly Dickinson* The Poems of Emily Dickinson, edited by Thomas H. Johnson* 3 volumes (Boston* I960}* l* 225* #303* Subsequent references to poems by Dickinson will be made by Poems * volume * page number * and poem number in parentheses following the quotation in the text. All quotations from Dickin