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I'm Wife, I'Ve Finished That - Analysis of The Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in A Biographical Perspective
I'm Wife, I'Ve Finished That - Analysis of The Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in A Biographical Perspective
I'm Wife, I'Ve Finished That - Analysis of The Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in A Biographical Perspective
as dependent to the men and their main tasks were taking care of their husband and children.In this
paper,I will looking at Emily Dickinson’s opinion about feminism through the poem “I’m Wife,
I’ve Finished that” in a biographical perspective.This paper is divided by three parts,the first part
provides an overview of reasons for Dickinson to write such a poem.The second part discusses the poem
“I’m Wife,I’ve Finished that” in a biographical view.Mainly to dig out why did Dickinson write such
a poem.The third part examines attitude of Dickinson about feminism through the poem “I’m wife,
Biographical criticism,derived from the literature criticism,is a way to analyze writer’s work
combined with her lifetime.This longstanding critical method dates back at least to the Renaissance
period,and was employed extensively by Samuel Johnson in his Lives of the Poets.The biographical
criticism emphasis the work is the projection of writer’s experiences,personalities and social
environments.Believing that using this strategy to make analysis,readers can better understand why the
author creatives those characters and what the author want to show through those characters and
events.
1.Historical Background
Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th 1830 in a family famous for educational and political
activities.In America,society in 19th century is a typical patriarchal century that female was judged as
being inferior to man in most of all aspects.Their main tasks is to take care of their husbands and
children.The domination of the family shows the popular concept that women were dominated by men.
Dickinson did not publish all her works during her lifetime,so it is unclear about when did
Dickinson write the poem “I’m Wife,I’ve Finished that”.But still,we can see the feminism views
through it combined with her lifetime.Firstly,she did not marry to anyone in her whole life.One of the
strongest and most affectionate relationship was with her sister-in-law,Susan Gilbert.They have over
300 letters and Susan was describes as the“most beloved friend,influence,muse,and adviser”that
influences a lot for her writing.(Matin,53) In that social background,marriage is necessity for every
women,but for Dickinson,she did not get married in her whole life.In this point,it is possible that she
refused to accept the opinion of the domination of the man in a family and be a wife which was tagged
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11/9/2019 I’m Wife,I’ve Finished That:Analysis of the Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in a Biographical Perspective
women.Because of her friends and families’ death.Sewall Richard (1974) indicates that the death of
Benjamin Franklin Newton,an attorney who is a friend for Dickinson’s family and Emily’s tutor,
preceptor and master,Leonard Humphrey,the principle of Emily’s academy,and her mother make
her a pessimistic woman.(Sewall,401) In the fall of 1884,Dickinson wrote“The Dyings have been
too deep for me,and before I could raise my Heart from one,another has come.”(Habegger,623)
That summer she had seen“a great darkness coming”and fainted while baking in the kitchen.Though it
is just a surmise due to the unclear date of this poem.Thirdly,the education in school also bring her
some advanced knowledge which may germinate feminism consciousness.On September 7,1840,
Dickinson and her sister Lavinia started together at Amherst Academy,a former boys' school that had
opened to female students just two years earlier.(Sewall,337) both of her sister and her did not
marry in their whole life.Though it is hardly to say if the reason for not getting married is because of the
resistant of the traditional family structure at that time,it can be speculated that what they learn in the
academy make them aware of the unfair role for women in the society. From discussions above,
though Emily Dickinson’s life time is hard to apprised,she had an unusual life which is not unsocial
and unpassionate.In the poem of “I’m Wife,I’ve finished that”,a stereotype of wife did not
appeared while a special wife image with the feminism consciousness was showed as an objection to the
The poem wrote the transmission of role and the mood from a women to a wife.Not only did Emily
Dickinson not get married,but also seldom contact with others in older age.In the book “My Wars Are
Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily”,Habegger(2001) points out Dickinson started to avoid
going out unless it was absolutely necessary as early as 1867,and she began to talk to visitors from the
other side of a door rather than speaking to them face to face.As a result,the poem might not be a
reflection of her experience but an imagination of the image of wife.The poem mainly claims about the
In the first stanza,she tried to reflect the complication of the issue regarding of women and
“Safer” is an irony here,it indicates the identity of the female at that time which was dominated
by men in their life that Dickinson was objected.She herself is not “safe” for lacking the identification
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11/9/2019 I’m Wife,I’ve Finished That:Analysis of the Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in a Biographical Perspective
as a wife.Safe can means the protection of women.Most women at that time did not have stable
income,a place to live and some civil rights such as the vote right.Getting married with a man could
make woman feel safe.The emphasis quote for the woman ingeniously indicates the different
identification for the women.As I mentioned before,America was a paternity in nineteenth century,the
orthodox stereotype for women were doing chores and all their work were taking care of their husband
and families.For Dickinson,she indicated the unique idea to show women not equally with wife.Being a
wife is not the only way to be a integrate women and the only way to fell security.Another interesting
phrase is the “Czar”.Czar as the imperial in Russia which means the power and the domination of a
country,is opposite to the stereotype of women.But in the poem women felt themselves as “Czar”
after being a wife,implying the deep rooted paternity ideology. In the second stanza,Dickinson
describes from the perspective“behind this soft eclipse.”(line4) Wife felt odd about girl’s life like
“folk in heaven” looked in “earth”.This is an inferior perspective from wife to girl while ironically,
husband was inferior to wife in a family.Those “safe” and felt like “Czar” is illusion for wives.For
Dickinson,place that can secure her was her home rather than having a husband.
But then in a flippant ending,as if to quash any challenges and questions ?C from her own mind as
well as from others ?C she says,“I’m ‘Wife’! Stop there!” This is nicely ties to the title “I’ve
finished that”.This poem shows the feminism view from Emily Dickinson.She satirized women who were
lack of independent awareness but sought the security in a man to over emphasize becoming a wife.In
her life,she had relationship with several men but just was intimate friends with them.But none of them
become her boyfriends or fiancé.As a result,the poem might be written to inspire other women to be
independent and claimed the right choice about the marriage.Habegger examines in “The Life of Emily
Dickinson” that despite her physical seclusion,however,Dickinson was socially active and expressive
through what makes up two-thirds of her surviving notes and letters.When visitors came to either the
Homestead or the Evergreens,she would often leave or send over small gifts of poems or flowers.The
security of her is not the income,house and a person can be relied but the spirits.
Whether women should be educated is a hotspot in America from independent and it was also the
right struggling by feminist.Emily Dickinson was well educated due to the emphasis for education in her
family that gave her a boarder view to the world.But in opposite with other feminist,she stayed at
home doing chores rather than making a living by herself or tried to gain works or rights unfairly to
women.Moreover,she proficient in gardening.That shows her feminism view is being judged freely.In
the last stanza of the poem “I’m wife,I’ve finished that”,Dickinson uses “comfort”,“pain”
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11/9/2019 I’m Wife,I’ve Finished That:Analysis of the Feminism Views of Emily Dickinson in a Biographical Perspective
What women really need to do is changing their minds rather than feel “safer” to be
subordinated.Adrienne Rich described it in this way,in Vesuvius at Home: The Power of Emily
Dickinson that Dickinson's identity as a woman poet conveyed power to her: “[she]chose her
seclusion,knowing she was exceptional and knowing what she needed...She carefully selected her
society and controlled the disposal of her time...neither eccentric nor quaint; she was determined to
survive,to use her powers,to practice necessary economics” (Rich 34). Like Dickinson wrestles
with complex notions of God,giving no consistent view of religion,so does she wrestle with gender,
giving no consistent feminist views.Her work is paradoxical: her style is terse looks like the verse of a
male rather than chatty sentimental women style.With all the dashes and ellipses and telegraphic lines,
her poetry seems a far cry from anything from this planet.All in all,her great theme in her poetry was
that of mystery.
From Emily Dickinson’s Life,we can better understand the poem “I’m wife,I’ve finished
that”.She gave up her social life to pursued liberty in deep spirit.In her love,she bravely sought love
until die but gave up marriage imprisoned with other women.She opposite to the domination by men
through her works rather than supporting any feminism protests.In the poem “I’m wife,I’ve finished
that”,she used irony to satire people deep rooted the ideology in patriarchy society.On the one
hand,this poem conveys a history stereotype for women at that period,on the other hand,it
performs the feminism at that time which is not strong enough but firmly.
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