Life Of Emily Dickinson, An Enigmatic Woman

Do you know the life of Emily Dickinson? She is considered one of the greatest poetesses of all time, although in her life she barely published six poems, without achieving great success.

She was an extremely enigmatic woman, to the point that many aspects of her life are not yet fully understood and are the subject of various hypotheses.

One of the greatest mysteries concerns the 300 love poems he passionately wrote for someone. It is not known who that great love was, especially since no relationship was ever attributed to her and, in fact, Emily Dickinson died unmarried and, most likely, a virgin.

It is also not clear whether some aspects of Emily Dickinson ‘s life  were related to simple eccentricity or rather to emotional or mental disorders. The only certain thing is that she was an extraordinary poet, compared to big names like Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman.

Life of Emily Dickinson: a happy childhood

Emily Dickinson was born into a wealthy family in New England (United States). He carried within him a strong Protestant and Puritan tradition, which profoundly influenced his life and works. However, she never fully defined herself in this sense: at times she seemed more of a classical mystic and at other times pagan.

Emily was born on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts (United States). His father, like other members of his family, held important government positions. It was her family that pioneered the opening of an educational center for girls, who at that time rarely received an education.

The future poetess received her first education in that school and there she deepened her knowledge of the sciences. He also took piano lessons from an aunt and other private lessons in gardening and horticulture, an activity he loved until the last day of his life. She was also a great admirer of astronomy.

A particular girl

Once her basic education was finished, Emily Dickinson studied at a youth seminary. There he received academic training, but the main goal of the institution was to train religious missionaries.

It was proposed to her to devote herself to this activity, but after much reflection, she decided not to accept. She therefore finished her studies by graduating from that same center as “not converted”. In fact, he left the seminary due to a health problem. It is also known that from an early age she was passionate about poetry and that she loved to invent stories with which she entertained her companions. As soon as she left the seminary, she returned to her father’s house where she remained for the rest of her life.

Two men sparked enormous interest in Emily Dickinson. One was Benjamin Franklin Newton, an intelligent and shrewd man, who came into her life to recommend reading to her and flatter her intelligence. However, this potential suitor was ill with tuberculosis and, perhaps because of this, he was turned away from her. He died a little later, causing her deep pain.

The other man was Charles Wasdworth, a Protestant pastor, but also a recognized pianist. The man was married and it is said that he turned away from her so as not to “fall into temptation,” although this is not entirely proven. Emily had deep admiration for him, but a short time later he also died.

Eccentricity and genius

Many of his biographers speculate that his love poems were dedicated to these two men. However, there is a much more plausible version that the object of his affection was Susan Gilbert, a childhood friend and wife of his brother. This would explain why his affections were shrouded in so much mystery.

Emily Dickinson refused not only to publish her works, but also to share them with those closest to her. As a result, only six of the more than 1,800 poems saw the light while he was alive.

Emily spent the last 15 years of her life locked up, first at home and then solely in her room. He also got into the habit of dressing exclusively in white.

Throughout that time, he only went out to go to his beloved garden and spent the rest of his time in solitary confinement. He died of kidney disease on May 15, 1886.  It was his younger sister and loyal admirer, Vinnie, who found the 40 volumes of hand-bound poetry that Emily was hiding. And it was she who made those extraordinary works known to the world.