Poem Analysis - As Far From Pity As Complaint

A State of Emotional Detachment

Emily Dickinson's "As Far From Pity, As Complaint" explores a state of profound emotional detachment, a severance from the world of feeling and sensation. The poem initially establishes a cold, almost lifeless tone, suggesting a speaker distanced from empathy and emotional expression. As the poem progresses, however, glimmers of vibrant imagery appear, hinting at a buried awareness of beauty and life, ultimately creating a poignant contrast between numbness and the overwhelming vitality of the world.

Severance From Feeling: "My Trade Were Bone"

One of the central themes of this poem is emotional numbness. Dickinson establishes this immediately by comparing the speaker's state to being "far from pity" and "cool to speech as stone." The line "As numb to Revelation / As if my Trade were Bone" is particularly striking. The image of "bone" suggests death, permanence, and a lack of sensitivity. This isn't just a temporary sadness, but a seemingly inherent characteristic, a "Trade." The speaker is defining herself, in a deeply disturbing image, as intrinsically linked to a kind of deathly non-feeling. This chilling imagery effectively conveys a profound sense of disconnection from emotional experiences.

The Elusive Allure of Life: Color and Revelation

Despite the overarching theme of emotional detachment, the poem also subtly explores the alluring power of life and beauty. This is primarily achieved through vivid imagery related to color and natural phenomena. The "Rainbow's scarf" and "Sunset's Yellow play" evoke a sense of fleeting, vibrant beauty. These images, presented in the second stanza, stand in stark contrast to the earlier descriptions of numbness. They suggest that even in a state of emotional disconnection, the speaker is still aware of the world's richness, perhaps even drawn to it. The contrast between the speaker's emotional state and the beauty of the world creates a poignant tension.

Butterflies and the Sepulchre: A Dance of Life and Death

The final stanza introduces powerful symbols of death and resurrection. The "Sepulchre," a tomb, represents death and confinement. Juxtaposed against this is the image of "Color's Revelations" and the "Butterflies." Butterflies are commonly understood as symbols of transformation and rebirth. Here, the "Dancer" lying "dumb" in the tomb suggests a loss of agency and vitality. Yet, the bursting forth of color and the presence of butterflies suggest a life force that persists even in the face of death. A question that could be asked is: Is the dancer dumb due to death, or does the dumbness allow the colors and butterflies to break forth?

Final Reflections: Numbness and Enduring Beauty

In conclusion, "As Far From Pity, As Complaint" is a powerful meditation on emotional detachment and the enduring presence of beauty. The poem creates a stark contrast between the speaker's internal state of numbness and the vibrant, ever-changing world around her. While the poem initially presents a bleak picture of emotional disconnection, the recurring images of color and natural beauty suggest that even in the face of profound emotional distance, the allure of life and transformation remains potent and inescapable. The poem's final image, a juxtaposition of the tomb and the bursting forth of color and butterflies, serves as a poignant reminder of the cyclical nature of life and death, and the enduring power of beauty to transcend even the deepest sense of emotional emptiness.