Is Emily Dickinson Crazy Or Insane

Emily Dickinson is perhaps the most mysterious and most scrutinized author in the history of American Literature. Just as many of her poems are riddles to be solved, her lifestyle and personality remain an enigma even today. She has been described as a recluse, a hermit, an agoraphobic, and even said to be insane. Was she mentally ill in some way or simply so tainted by life, life experiences, and just culture that she consciously chose to shut herself away. Perhaps society may never know the truth. What remains above all else is deep, soulful writing that the world may never see the likes of again. Dickinson was born in 1830 to prominent citizens of Amherst, Massachusetts. Her father was Edward Dickinson. He was a well-known attorney

Queen Victoria set an overwhelming example when she became a widow and refused to wear anything but her black mourning garments. As a result of this Victorian trend of reclusiveness many young ladies of the era joined nunneries or chose to live lives of seclusion. Even without the shroud of Queen Victoria’s behavior, early to mid nineteenth century women were encouraged to be seen and not heard. They were prodded by husbands and fathers to be good and delicate. Women were meant to be submissive, unquestioning, and fragile. A life in the shadows of men was an accepted norm in Emily Dickinson’s childhood and early adult

This birth left her unable to care for her other two children for some time. She and the infant remained sickly for months. It was decided that during her mother’s recovery young Emily Dickinson would go to live with her maternal aunt in Monson. This aunt took excellent care of young Emily, but the experience as a whole was not happy for Dickinson. The house was struck by tuberculosis. Young Dickinson witnessed this disease and it’s destruction without her mother to lean on for comfort. Her aunt was spared but spent all of her time caring for those afflicted by the disease. Researchers believe this trauma to be a major contribution to Dickinson’s decision to remain alone and unmarried once she reached adulthood. The traumatic delivery that almost killed her mother and infant sister is thought to have left a lasting impression on