I Dwell in Possibility by Emily Dickinson Analysis

In the poem “I dwell in Possibility,” the poet Emily Dickinson informs the requirements needed in order to have access to her personal space and poetry.

Since the beginning of the poem, Dickinson reveals that she needs to lose herself in a sea of change and unlimited options in order to exist when the narrator admits that “I dwell in Possibility--.” This quote reveals that she has become so obsessed with some sort of negative thinking that does not allowed her to escape her physical space and her mind despite the number of chances and infinite opportunity that surrounded her in a daily basis. Weather this dwelling is produced from the past, anxiety, a trauma or depression, one could not tell. However, one can assumed that the fear of the unknown or death itself is forcing the narrator to drowned in a negative force that it is preventing her from enjoying the moment and considered the possibilities that she can choose from in a positive light.

In the next verse, however, Dickinson  uses a metaphor to compare a beautiful house with proses when Dickinson mentions that “A fairest house than prose.” In other words, the house  served as a space where justice and fairness are possible rather than a space being dominated by a certain form of ordinary language or words within their own rules, norm and rhyme. Indirectly, Dickinson argues that proses are limited and enforced by an imaginary enforcer that planned, mold and executed their structure or design that limited the narrator to live on a restricted form of life where structure or appearance is more important than the content. The house, however, become an infinite space of creativity and freedom that allows the individual to create their own art without being influenced by outside force that could criticize and disappoint the ideas that the narrator hold dear. Just like the fairest house and prose whose rules are dictated by an enforcer, Ironically, one can assumed that this house is also built by a creator who have the discretion to decide the morality that defined the ethical decision of this house and its tenant as right or wrong. If we take this assumption seriously, the implication is that the narrator holds a grudge for the enforcer that depended on her in order to dominated and command on a note that would be considered as fair by the majority, yet who would not necessary be true. In the same way, one would not expect a corruption regime to dominated this space, but rather, a form of compromise that would benefit both parties. Because it can be rationally infers that this house has a higher level of morality or aesthetics due to the fact that it is the “fairest house,” one can assumed that it would be feared, admired and observed with curiosity and expectation by the outsiders who relied on its violence and magic to inflict its own light and resolution  to its tenant and the community by preventing  the chaos and provide the illusion of protection.

Although this “fairest” house became a reclusive and solitary space that eventually caged Dickinson voluntarily for some unknown reason, Dickinson, indirectly implies, that this house provides more possibility to obtain  an infinite of ideas and knowledge on all subjects  than being educated by the outside sources who have a world of prose under their belt due to their inability to get on their level with their students. Because the world of prose have a hidden agenda or political interesting on its structure, it is interested on a credibility and certain level of prestige that would promoted a level of respect as an expert and an aura of authority or power once the reader begins to follow the guidelines by those who claim to know beauty and justice.

Dickinson argues that the individuals who are more interesting on poetry rather than proses or its structure have the ability to be more possible to grow mentally  and expand rather than the individuals who focus on proses. Because those interested in poetry would be more willing to open up to a creative side or the art of  acquisition of knowledge than those who simply focus on the dynamic of grammar and its formality. Indirectly, Dickinson claims that poetry is about windows who are more open and clear than the proses who are control, edict and change to form something entirely new, yet acceptable to the public.  This comparison, then, establishes Dickinson’s belief that this house is more just because it allows her the absolute freedom to write and play with her imagination without being limited, restricted by a certain standard or set of rules imposed by the convection that would trained her to be a half poeta  and a public figure who would have to fold under the scope of the passive figure rather than  revolutionary or rebellion.

In order to break away from the stereotype of women as a frustrated and resigned individuals, Dickinson rebels against this gender role as a submissive housewife and mother by focusing on her professional  career  as a writer and  freestyle poet that would not sell the illusion that she belongs and have been included openly. Instead, Emily Dickinson illustrates the reality that she is trapped inside and outside of a house who provides shelter and even protection economically, yet, who forced her to rely on the “more numerous of windows--/superior-- for doors--” than on the reality of all the possibility that she could have offered to the world if she would have been accepted, present and active. By being forced to become a voyer who desires rely on watching, instead of being seen than by others and interacting without caring about the convencional society, Dickinson’s life became a consolation prize that forced her to become a ghostly figure whose own house and life became her prison due to the lack of choices for women during the 19th century. Indirectly, the economic system protect women to live longer, yet they are more likely to endure years of oppression and dismissed by society.

Nonetheless, Dickinson seen to inclinate to windows as a better form of reality than doors or the ability to move between the spaces. In the other hand, one can argued  that Dickinson did not wanted to be part of a society that did not accept her as she was even if it was considered too radical. Rather than to assimilated and try to incorporated into the group’s identity or influenced others to her understand her views, she fought to maintain her individual identity and its beliefs rather than to be forced to assimilated and pretend to be someone more square and closed than those windows itself. In a way, Dickinson might be arguing that “If we want to be superior being, we need to be as transparent and open as a windows themselves.However, one must be willing to remain true to one’s natural light and brightness rather than  shine with the dreams or light of others. 

Because Dickinson is interest on a form of free observation and a limited view of her reality, one can assume that the lack of desires for doors, it is a symbolism that expresses her indifference to let others into herself, privacy or personal space. Rather than being friendly by encouraging everyone to visit her sacred space or enter to see a glimpse of her reality or passion for knowledge, the narrator wants to maintain a certain level of privacy and independent where she would not be admired by others, treated as a host who aim is to serve or either be assigned into a pedestal where she would be adored or hate as either a saint or educated scholar.

Because Dickinson is more interesting on the dwelling on possibility and the desire for people to motivated themselves to obtained their own knowledge, one can assume that the narrator is not interesting in a teaching position where she would be admired and honor. As a result, one can assume that the narrator does not wanted to be famous or recognized. Rather,Dickinson  wants to share a visionary view who focus  rely on an intellectual reform without having to being the face of the movement. Weather a misperception of beauty influenced her decision or the fear of rejection, we can not specalutated due to the lack of evidence on this poem.

Surprisingly, Dickinson contradicts this claim with a glimpse to her strong view and will power when she illustrates that anyone can break away from the conventional being by closing the door for entertaining and the things that convicts the reader to become more submissive and docile rather than by being more true to oneself. In a way, this poem became a critic to a society that gets distracted too easily by meaningless things rather than expanding their horizon. Dickinson might be alluding that it is not the physical space that make one free or a prisoner, but rather, it is the mental caged that imprisons us to a blank slate. In order to be free, one need to dwell in all the possibilities that the world around us offers rather than to be tied by a formal form of world or the physical space. In order to enter into this world of possibility and awakeness, one need to be part of nature and the willing to negotiate with one’s consciousness. Dickinson, indirectly, describe that this light and nature encouraged us to rely on observation and the light or sounds of the windows rather than being more judgemental about the value of things.

In this next verse when Emily writes “ Of chambers.../…./sky--” .  The first point that come across is the simile of chambers as cedars. Because cedars is defined as “Any of a number of conifers which typically yield fragrant, durable timber...A large tree of the pine family (genus Cedrus, family Pinaceae), in particular the cedar of Lebanon (C. libani), with spreading branches, and the deodar” , one could conclude that the similarity rely on the fact that both hold a durability that provides a leave of intimacy that does not move between the width and heights of this open space. However, the chambers guarantees a certain amount of intimacy, privacy and even individualism that hits to the taste of the occupant of the bedroom rather than being a space or tree opens to everyone. Unconsciousness, Dickinson is limiting this space for those strong enough to break away the chains that are link to the roots or the traditional values before them. Unconsciousness, Dickinson might be encouraging those obsessed with the expansion of more room or even imprisonment  to abandoned colonialism in order to be captivated by another form of force such as the infinite sky which would be more clean and significant  if they want to scare away the hide monster of dust that keep bringing the

rape, intolerance, ambition and even ignorance that remain under their rub that it is still as tall as the sky.  

An interesting concept that Dickinson used is the notion of “everlasting roof.” When one imagined a roof, one expects the ceiling or its protection  in the top of the house made of zinc or wood that would be replaced a few times within a few decades  due to its natural  decay with time. Dickinson, however, imagined a roof that would not be changed as often or never and whose power is interminable. The assumption is that Dickinson sees a roof that would not be penetrate by natural resources such as water and the sun due to the structure that it is open to the intemperie and unprotected by a physical  roof due to its openness and infinity. In a way, the house and the sky have come together to become a single connected space who supported does not relies on a figure or deity, but rather, on nature or the clear sky itself, oxygen and the invisible column that have adapted to its environment. The problem that Dickinson does not seen to realizes is that the everlasting roof leaves its occupants vulnerable against natural occurrence such as rain or the sun itself which might eventually produced damage to all the accessory that belong inside of the house.  

In the same way, If the “visitors -- the fairest--/” are  the gambrels of this world or house, one can assumes that they would obtained their justice, knowledge or beauty forever once they understand the difference between prose and poetry. By living the definition of possibility or analyzing everything with imagination and creativity, this individuals would move away from the impossibility  that it is link to appearance and fairness in order to be honest and open despite of their squareness or prejudice ideas.

Cleverly, Dickinson turns the readers of this poem into “the fairest visitors” that would be judge on weather they would dwell in possibility or they would not raise to the challenged to discovered the truth and fix it.  This reference of Dickinson could implied that the readers would be able to obtain an invitation to her house formerly once they too become scholars who would dwell as either passive or active readers who would fight and honor every word of this poem rather than focus on its division or structure. Interesting  Dickinson turns the poetas into “fairest” visitors of their own prison who would be writing themselves in order to occupant their time and space with their dedication to books, words, and ideas. Purposely, Dickinson assigned that women could become poets despite of their location or setting when she mentions “For Occupation – This –” . Indirectly, Dickinson states that her power and pride relies on her occupation as a poet. When Dickinson concludes the poem with “The spreading wide my narrow Hands/ To gather Paradise –,” the readers can understand finally that the key needed in order to enter into her own world of creativity and infinite possibility could be obtained thru the divine power that it is obtained once we moved from religion aspirations and closed minded faith whose aim seen to be closing and limiting her from reaching her happiness and freedom into a bird. By turning into a bird who would be able to fly and reach the infinite, one would be able to separate ourselves from the mundane dilemma attached to earth that does not allowed us to see beyond our shell into another form of creatures tested by the forgiven. Despite the assumption of the  component of Dickinson’s paradise, it can be assumed that this timeless harmonical garden that could be obtained through the beauty of poetry and words in order to obtained a rebirth that would not necessary saved, but rather, it would liberated the honest readers to transcendent into another superior beings without windows, doors or roof who would limited us to a physical or mental prison toward the imagination and the thoughts.