The Description Of Pain In Emily Dickinson

’s Poetry Essay, Research Paper

The Description Of Pain In Emily Dickinson’s Poetry

In her description of pain, Emily Dickinson treats its effects on both the body and the soul. In poem 244, she presents a comparison between physical and psychological pain. According to poem 806, pain is a state through which the soul gets liberated from the body. The poet also describes the way Doctors struggle with pain and find themselves helpless in front of some kinds of it as in poems 177 and 396. Another phenomenon that is associated with extreme pain is described in poem 599.

1. Pain has Great Effects on the Body and the Soul

The Comparison between Physical and Psychological Pain

The poem 244 illustrates how emotional pain prevents any kind of enjoyment or work. It is easy for a person to work when the soul is at play, or when everything is going all right. But, when one is in pain and his thoughts are also dismal or sad from other causes, it is hard to keep on with regular tasks:

It is easy to work when the soul is at play -

But when the soul is in pain -

The hearing him put his playthings up

Makes work difficult – then —

It is simple, to ache in the Bone, or the Rind –

But Gimlets – among the nerve -

Mangle daintier – terribler -

Like a Panther in the Glove –

The first line of that poem indicates a universal role “It is easy to work when the soul is at play–” When the spirit is feeling well, the body would engage in working without any difficulty. Both body and soul would then be in harmony. But if the soul is in pain, work becomes very difficult. The soul does not accept even to hear its holder put his “playthings up”.

To stress the importance of emotional pain the speaker makes a comparison between physical and psychological pain. According to the persona, physical pain is simple and easy when compared to psychological pain. To strengthen this idea, an extreme example of physical pain is used:

It is simple, to ache in the Bone, or the Rind -

It is simple to ache in the bones as with rheumatism or age,

for example or in the rind (bark of a tree, poetically meaning the skin of human beings). But when paralleled with what happens to “nerves”, physical pain becomes an easy thing. Nerves here may be referring to feelings and emotions.

The degree of pain suffered by “nerves” is illustrated by likening it to the work of gimlets in wood pieces. As the gimlet turns rapidly round its pointed head to make a hole into wooden pieces, sharp pain attacks the feelings to do much more harm than a gimlet would do to wood.

The speaker uses the gimlet to illustrate the degree of the pain. However, she would remind the reader that the pain is harder and terribler than the stated example would suggest.

The last line presents a challenging representation:

Like a panther in the glove

When gimlets are digging around in one’s nerves (when he is deeply “on edge”) then it all feels like a “panther in the glove.” Simply imagine a panther, clawing around in a glove you are wearing. Its claws dig in and scrape, driving the patient into a terrible state of pain.

In sum, when the world is going all right, pain is not too hard to take. But when one’s thoughts are going badly, it can be extremely difficult to take pain. The state of mind has tremendous power over the way we react to pain.

However, according to Cynthia Hallen, the glove in this poem has a figurative meaning. A glove is a protective covering for the hand; but its figurative meaning here is “skin; protective covering on nerve fibers.” . Therefore, the illustration “panther in the glove” could be a representation of the degree of pain. The feelings of the sufferer would be as if a panther were constantly clawing around inside his skin. It is surely a strange representation. And it could be aimed at depicting how horrifying and sinister the state of pain is.

Pain Unveils the Real Value of the Man:

According to Emily Dickinson, when pain visits the body, it does not do that only to inflict harm and distress. Pain is rather fruitful and of great outcome to the human being. Therefore, the poet gives a very noble role to pain in poem 806:

A Plated Life — diversified

With Gold and Silver Pain

To prove the presence of the Ore

In Particles — ’tis when

A Value struggle — it exist–

A Power — will proclaim

Although Annihilation pile

Whole Chaoses on Him –

According to that poem, life is plated with different degrees and kinds of pain in order to uncover its real value. The whole operation is compared to what is done to ore to get precious metals from it. The heat and fire that ore is subjected to, is like the heat and suffering of pain that the human being goes through. The outcome is comparable as well. While, through the use of fire we could get precious metals like silver and gold, through pain the soul achieves the heights where it becomes a pure light and gets rid of the burden of the body.

As one critic states: ” ‘ORE’ literally means the mineral matter that precious metals are situated in. The poem speaks of proving or refining the ore to purify the gold and silver particles therein. This is a metaphor for the p

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