Critical Analysis of Poem #189 by Emily Dickinson
Critical Analysis of Poem #189 by Emily Dickinson
In poem # 199 Emily Dickinson presents a very intricate approach towards marriage. In the first stanza she writes “I’m ‘wife’ – I’ve finished that / I’m ‘Woman’ now – It’s safer so,” what she means here is that now since I am married, I have become complete woman. I think the message that she is trying to convey is that every girl ought to get married in order for her to become a ‘complete’ woman. In the first 3 line Dickinson seems to present a pro-marriage opinion. But in the last line of stanza 1, she writes “It’s safer so,” here is where the ironic messages is put forward. In mid nineteenth century, it was a norm/expected for a girl to get married, have a family, have children and have a typical lifestyle. So in the last line she mocks the society for pressurizing girls to get married.
In the second stanza she compares the single-married issue to the earth-heaven scenario. Being single is represented by the ‘harsh’ life and realities of the earth and a married woman’s life is compare to being in ‘Heaven.’ The last stanza begins with the lines “This being comfort-then/ That other kind was pain,” these two lines transmit a mixed signal suggesting that married life is finally painless or the complete opposite of it. She ends the poem with a positive note towards marriage by saying that there is no need to compare both the scenarios since she is now a ‘Wife.’ Here again, she uses the word ‘Wife’ to represent her status. That to me indicates that she is trying to mock the sexist society of the middle nineteenth century.