Poem Analysis - Taking Up The Fair Ideal

Introduction: The Shattering of Ideals

Emily Dickinson's "Taking Up the Fair Ideal" explores the complex and often painful process of disillusionment. The poem begins with an embrace of perfection, quickly followed by its inevitable shattering. This process leads to doubt and questioning, yet ultimately hints at a transformative healing. The tone shifts from hopeful aspiration to bitter disappointment, and finally to a tentative, almost hesitant, optimism.

The Frailty of Perfection

One of the central themes in the poem is the inherent fragility of idealized notions. The "fair Ideal" is not presented as something robust or enduring, but rather as something easily broken ("fracture," "splintered Crown"). This vulnerability suggests that perfection, as conceived by humans, is unsustainable. Dickinson uses potent imagery of damage to emphasize this point, showing how quickly an ideal can crumble under scrutiny. "Taking up the fair Ideal, / Just to cast her down" depicts the immediate disappointment.

Doubt and the Fall from Grace

The disillusionment caused by the crumbling ideal leads to profound doubt, particularly concerning the divine. The lines "Makes the Heavens portable / And the Gods a lie" indicate a loss of faith and a questioning of established truths. The poem even alludes to the biblical story of Adam, suggesting that the experience of shattered ideals mirrors the fall from grace and the subsequent awareness of imperfection. "Doubtless Adam—scowled at Eden / For his perjury!" implies that Adam, like the speaker, felt betrayed by a flawed ideal.

Transformation and Healing

However, the poem doesn't end in despair. It transitions to a suggestion of eventual healing and even a potential for a more profound understanding. The lines "Cherishing our poor Ideal / Till in purer dress / We behold her glorified" suggest a process of refining and transforming the broken ideal. The broken things which were once adored, may be washed clean and 'Transfigured mended' to meet us with a smile. This ending offers a glimmer of hope that even after disillusionment, a renewed and perhaps more realistic understanding of the ideal can be achieved.

Symbolism of the Crown and Garments

The poem utilizes several recurring symbols to reinforce its themes. The "splintered Crown" symbolizes authority, power, and perhaps even religious institutions, suggesting that these structures, like ideals, are susceptible to fracture. The image of "purer dress" in the second stanza represents a cleansing and transformation. It suggests that the ideal, stripped of its initial flaws and dressed in new garments, can be revisited. What is this purer dress? Is this new outlook of our old shattered ideal truly "purer," or simply more resigned to reality and comfortable in its imperfections?

Conclusion: Finding Beauty in Imperfection

In conclusion, "Taking Up the Fair Ideal" is a powerful exploration of the disillusionment that arises when ideals are shattered. It acknowledges the pain and doubt that accompany this process, but also hints at the possibility of transformation and healing. Dickinson's poem suggests that true understanding comes not from clinging to unattainable perfection, but from accepting imperfection and finding beauty in the mended pieces of our broken ideals. This makes the poem resonate with any person who has faced the difficult task of seeing the world as it is, rather than how it ought to be.