In her poem #465, Emily Dickinson’s speaker allows the reader to experience an ironic reversal of conventional expectations of the moment of death in the mid-1800s, as the speaker finds nothing but an eerie darkness at the end of her life. Specifically, during the mid-1800s, it was of the conventional Christian belief that once a person died God would welcome that individual into his kingdom with a momentous resurrection. However, when the speaker died all she heard was “a Fly buzz” (1). Her death is in direct contrast to common Christian beliefs. The skies were supposed to part and angels were to descend from heaven to lead the speaker to eternal life, however, her death consisted of a minute fly leading her to an eerie darkness. Her death was not extravagant, but rather a calm interruption…show more content… The speaker’s death came “Between the Heaves of the Storm” (4). Here, Dickinson implies that death is the time between the storms of life and afterlife. The speaker’s death is not a grand occasion, but a mundane and somber disruption of life on earth, which is caused by the appearance of a minute fly. Death’s pause allows a spirit to make its transition to heaven, hell, or even darkness. As was the custom of the time period the speaker partakes in a common deathbed ritual, however, the speaker’s account of death contradicts common expectations. The speaker’s death is an unconventional occasion. The speaker’s family and friends gathered to witness the speaker’s “last Onset,” and to read the speaker’s will, (7). Clearly, Dickinson’s oxymoron suggests that death is the speaker’s final beginning. The relatives believe that once the speaker dies, she will pass on
