Emily Dickinson’s poetry is characterized by ambiguity. Her poems are interpreted differently in different ways. The poem’s meaning can be altered to suit the readers’ view, depending on their perception. Her writing is ambiguous because humans cannot understand the meaning of the world, but still try to make sense of it. Dickinson’s explanations are not presented as facts. Instead, they are presented as possibilities. Dickinson makes use of ambiguity when she writes “I hear a Fly buzz, but I was scarce” and “I die for Beauty, but I was scarce”. She uses this to suggest different ways that we can view the world’s mysteries.
Dickinson provides answers to questions about divinity and the world in “I heard the Fly buzz-when I died”. The narrator is dead and lingering with others, waiting to see “the King”. (“I heard Fly buzz, line 7). In this context, the “King” is God. They are looking for a sign of divinity around them. There is only one sign in the whole room: a flying insect. Two readings are possible, a negative and a positive. The poem is told in a negative way, which tells of the disappointment of the faith in divinity. The people live their lives waiting for God to show up. They hope to find a sign of their faith in death. Instead, all they see is a buzzing fly. According to this interpretation, humans will never experience God despite their lifetime beliefs. The positive interpretation, however, shows that humans eventually see everything as divine, even the fly. It is possible that this interpretation could mean the fly is God. However, it’s impossible to know for sure. The fly’s color is “Blue”, a color associated with divinity and the Virgin Mary (“I Heard a Fly Buzz” line 13). It appears between light and narrator (which suggests light as a representation for heaven or understanding (“I Heard a Fly Buzz” line 14)). This interpretation suggests that even though there may not be any signs of divinity when we are alive, people will eventually understand that all they see is divine. Dickinson designed the two interpretations to be offered to the divinity question that humans may never understand. The ambiguity within this poem may lead readers in any direction, altering their interpretation and answer.
Two people have passed away. The first person lived his life for beauty while the second lived it for truth. They talked until the moss grew over their lips and names. This poem allows for readings similar to “I hear a Fly buzz-when I died-“. The negative interpretation implies that death, nature and all the lofty pursuits for beauty and truth are ultimately destroyed. When death is near, these noble pursuits will be nothing. As nature grows, the names of those who dedicated their lives to truth and beauty are masked and forgotten. Positively, moss can be seen as divine, since divinity permeates everything. Also, those who die in the pursuit of beauty or truth are united by their death. Even though two people have lived completely separate lives, they share a common death. The unity of dying is comforting and the divinity moss has a special way of covering the individuals. The ambiguity of this poem allows for two interpretations. One sees death as a negative thing, because it takes away all the noble pursuits of a lifetime. The positive view of death provides comfort with the idea that it’s a place where everyone meets and that divinity is found even in the smallest things. The poem is ambiguous, leading to multiple interpretations. Each reader will decide how they want to interpret it.
Emily Dickinson employs purposeful ambiguity, such as in “I saw a Fly buzz-when I died-“, “I died to Beauty-but was scarce”, to suggest possible answers to a variety of questions for which human beings might never have an answer. Questions such as the meaning of life and the nature of death will always remain unanswered. Dickinson uses her poems to explore different interpretations and possible solutions. It is impossible to choose the best way to view the poems’ messages, as there are no definitive answers to life’s mysteries. The use of ambiguity in the poetry alters its meaning because every reading conveys a new message. It is not right or wrong for the reader to interpret the poem in a certain way, but it does affect the meaning.
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