Going to him! Happy letter!

1. Emily Dickinson takes a holiday…from being completely miserable! Going to him! Happy letter! I’d rather be in Amherst. 5th February 2014

2. “Going to Him! Happy letter! Tell Him— Tell Him the page I didn’t write— Tell Him—I only said the Syntax— And left the Verb and the pronoun out— Tell Him just how the fingers hurried— Then—how they waded—slow—slow— And then you wished you had eyes in your pages— So you could see what moved them so— “Tell Him—it wasn’t a Practised Writer— You guessed—from the way the sentence toiled— You could hear the Bodice tug, behind you— As if it held but the might of a child— You almost pitied it—you—it worked so— Tell Him—no—you may quibble there— For it would split His Heart, to know it— And then you and I, were silenter. “Tell Him—Night finished—before we finished— And the Old Clock kept neighing “Day”! And you—got sleepy—and begged to be ended— What could it hinder so—to say? Tell Him—just how she sealed you—Cautious! But—if He ask where you are hid Until tomorrow—Happy letter! Gesture Coquette—and shake your Head!”

3. Notice how we have moved away from her usual dashes to exclamation marks. Immediately it makes the poem seem more positive. This is a very simplistic start – ‘Going’ is not a very exciting verb. However, the letter is ‘happy’ because it is going to ‘him’. She, unfortunately, is not. Note how the poem is her talking to the letter. “Going to Him! Happy letter! Tell Him— Tell Him the page I didn’t write— Tell Him—I only said the Syntax— And left the Verb and the pronoun out— Note the three uses of ‘Tell him’ as if she is struggling to communicate her feelings What was in this page she ‘didn’t write’? Is it suggesting she can’t communicate her true feelings The verb could be ‘Love’ and the pronoun ‘I’ or ‘You’. The fact she has ‘only said the syntax’ suggests her sentences are formal. Perhaps she is constrained by behaviour? ‘Said the syntax’ has a whispered, sibilant quality perhaps suggesting her feelings cannot be uttered aloud.

4. Here we get a sense of her feelings – she shifts from ‘hurried’ fingers to them wading ‘slow, slow, slow’. She seems uncertain how to put her feelings across. The repeated ‘w’ sound plus the vowels in ‘slow…’ really reflect the slow speed at which she is writing. Tell Him just how the fingers hurried— Then—how they waded—slow—slow— And then you wished you had eyes in your pages— So you could see what moved them so— The letter itself is so desperate to see what has affected Dickinson so deeply. This is the first poem we have looked at where her powerful emotions seem to be positive. Whoever is the intended recipient of the letter has clearly had a profound affect on her.

5. The letter recognises that her sentence continues slowly, without really getting to a point Like other writers such as Shakespeare, she is dismissive of her own talents. “Tell Him—it wasn’t a Practised Writer— You guessed—from the way the sentence toiled— You could hear the Bodice tug, behind you— As if it held but the might of a child— Like the toiling of the sentence, this suggests that her writing is childish. Perhaps this suggests her femininity – bit of a surprise knowing what we do of Dickinson. It could also be the restraint put on women at the time by conventions and manners.

6. Dickinson seems completely undecided here. On the one hand, she starts off by saying ‘Tell him’ (again!) but then contradicts herself. The letter perhaps wants to say more than she does. It ‘quibbles’ with her decision. Is the letter pitying the sentence – due to its poor structure – or the writer who can’t construct it properly? You almost pitied it—you—it worked so— Tell Him—no—you may quibble there— For it would split His Heart, to know it— And then you and I, were silenter. It is better if both she and the letter keep their thoughts/feelings to themselves. This suggests that what she wishes to say would ‘break the heart’ of its recipient. However, Dickinson has used ‘split’ to suggest a positive move – possibly not here?

7. Great image! The clock is neighing like a waiting horse that would be going to deliver the letter. It sounds like a strange cuckoo clock! The letter has taken so long to write – she has laboured over it so much – that morning has arrived Tell Him—Night finished—before we finished— And the Old Clock kept neighing “Day”! And you—got sleepy—and begged to be ended— What could it hinder so—to say? Still a question hangs over what can or cannot be said. How will it affect her, the recipient or the letter itself? The personification of the letter continues – it is like someone she has kept awake all night and is desperate to sleep – it wants to be ended.

8. The fact she intends to hide the letter until tomorrow – where? -suggests she may still be uncertain as to whether to send it. Perhaps she feels that what is not written – the missing verb and pronoun – may still be deduced. Again she is uncertain over what (and whether) to tell him. Now she is focused on how the letter is sealed – could this link to her kissing it? Tell Him—just how she sealed you—Cautious! But—if He ask where you are hid Until tomorrow—Happy letter! Gesture Coquette—and shake your Head!” Perhaps the flirtatiousness is preferable to saying what she REALLY feels. This concluding imagery is very flirtatious. It contrasts with the seriousness of the words that have taken so long to write.

9. Summary • The poem was sent to Samuel Bowles, a married man. No wonder it is coy. Dickinson wrote lots of letters to Bowles and some to his wife Mary. Many have a flirtatious air; some have a lovesick air, and some sound a bit desperate. This one is playful. • How would you feel if this poem was sent to you? • This is certainly a different poem from the others we have looked at but how different is it? Is it entirely positive?

10. THEME How can you link this poem to others? Things to consider: Personal viewpoint Narrative voice Personification – how does she create a persona for the letter?