Poem Analysis - Going To Him Happy Letter Tell Him

A Messenger of Unspoken Feelings

Emily Dickinson’s "Going to Him! Happy Letter! Tell Him–" is a delicate exploration of unspoken love, communicated through the imagined journey of a letter. The poem adopts a playfully secretive and coy tone, imagining the letter as a sentient being capable of conveying the nuances of the writer’s emotions. The mood oscillates between eagerness and hesitation, reflecting the speaker’s internal conflict between revealing and concealing her feelings. Ultimately, the poem uses the letter as a proxy, allowing Dickinson to explore the complexities of desire and the anxieties of vulnerability.

Love as a Laborious Act of Creation

One of the central themes of the poem is love as a difficult and laborious act of creation. The poem describes the writing process as a struggle, with the "sentence toil[ing]" and the "bodice tug[ging]" as if the writer's own physical being is strained by the effort. This imagery suggests that expressing love is not a simple, effortless act, but a demanding process that requires intense emotional and physical exertion. The absence of the "verb and the pronoun" highlights the incompleteness and the difficulty of articulating the full depth of her feelings. The writer's hesitation and the letter's plea to be ended reflect the exhausting nature of this emotional labor.

The Power of Silence and Suggestion

The poem also develops the theme of the power of silence and suggestion. The speaker instructs the letter to tell him what she didn’t write, emphasizing the significance of what remains unsaid. The missing verb and pronoun are not merely omissions but deliberate choices that amplify the poem's suggestive power. By leaving out these crucial elements, Dickinson forces the reader to engage actively in interpreting the unexpressed emotions. The final instruction to "Gesture, coquette, and shake your head!" reinforces this emphasis on nonverbal communication, suggesting that sometimes, the most profound expressions of love are conveyed through subtle gestures and suggestive hints, rather than direct declarations.

Vulnerability and Fear of Rejection

Vulnerability and the fear of rejection are recurring motifs. The speaker worries that revealing the effort behind the letter would "split his heart to know it," indicating a fear that the depth of her feelings might be overwhelming or unwelcome. This apprehension underscores the inherent vulnerability involved in exposing one’s emotions to another. The "bodice tugging" imagery can also be interpreted as a symbol of constraint and repression, suggesting that the speaker feels confined by social expectations and her own anxieties, making it difficult to express her true feelings openly. The speaker also seems to be trying to protect herself, and the recipient, from potential pain.

Imagery of Time and Restraint

The imagery of time plays a significant role in conveying the speaker's anxiety. The "old clock kept neighing ‘day!’" suggests a sense of urgency and the fear that time is running out. It also implies a transgression of social norms, as if the speaker is engaged in a clandestine activity that must be completed before daylight. The image of the letter being "sealed...cautious[ly]" further emphasizes the speaker's guardedness and her desire to control the flow of information. The letter must be given in secret, and the information it carries is dangerous and important. An open ended question could be posed here: Is the speaker more afraid of expressing her emotions, or receiving a negative response to them?

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, "Going to Him! Happy Letter! Tell Him–" is a poignant exploration of unspoken love and the challenges of expressing deep emotions. Dickinson masterfully uses the conceit of a sentient letter to convey the speaker's internal conflict, her fears of vulnerability, and the power of suggestion. The poem is a testament to the complexities of human connection and the profound significance of what remains unsaid, a nuanced exploration of love's hesitations and hidden depths.