Because I Could Not Stop for Death

Dickinson personifies two abstract concepts in this poem: Death appears as a man driving a carriage, while Immortality appears as a fellow traveler riding in the carriage next to the speaker. Dickinson gives Death several surprising personality traits that subvert the punitive and terrifying imagery associated with dying in Christianity. Death does not threaten or scare the speaker. Instead, he is a gentle and polite driver who “kindly stopped” (Line 2) for the speaker; the speaker’s calm at leaving the trappings of life comes from Death’s “Civility” (Line 8).

Dickinson depicts the carriage ride with a peaceful and somewhat detached tone. The detachment makes sense, since this carriage ride represents her death and subsequent journey through time and the afterlife—unable to do much beyond note the passing scenery, the speaker perceives images denoting the passage of time, such as children at play, a growing harvest, and the setting sun—traditional symbols of a full human life. The speaker’s inability to stop the carriage’s progress becomes more pronounced between the third and fourth stanzas, where she gives up the