Emily Dickinson’s “Death is a supple Suitor,” speaks of Death, as if it is an innocent, gentle caller who seeks to win the attention of his fair lady. Dickinson metaphorically tells a story of Death’s win over the one he is pursuing by contrasting the processes of courting, as a gentleman would do, and dying, as Death would occur. Dickinson incorporates many details, which will be discussed, and presents us with two sides of the running metaphor, which speaks of Death as a suitor, and also as the one who takes away life.
The idea that Death wins, in both cases is portrayed when Death, a young man courting his love, triumphs in winning her life and taking her as his own. Dickinson uses the first two lines of her poem to introduce this compliant character. Death is a supple Suitor That wins at last- Supple, being Dickinson’s choice of characterization for the Suitora yielding man who is courting a womanemits the idea that Death is misleading his bride to be, because as we all know, Death will yield or wait for no man or woman. His goal, as a “supple suitor” is to slyly woo her, and cause her to entrust herself to him.
The ironic contrast is found in the thoughts that Death is something that humans avoid at most costs, yet in the end Death has taken her life. His wooing leads to her Death. It is a stealthy Wooing Conducted first By pallid innuendoes And dim approach Dickinson’s choice of words such as “pallid”, which is a lack of color or intensity, and “dim” which similarly lacks color or vigor, contribute to connecting both sides of her metaphor. The “dim (and) pallid” innuendoessubtle implicationscharacterize the “supple Suitor” and satirically also the devious approach that Death takes every day in the world, when lives are taken.
These “faint” choices of words that portray Death’s subtle style are followed by a climactic representation of Death as he finally wins his bride. But brave at last with Bugles And a bisected Coach Ms. Dickinson properly groups her choice of words when placing the subtlerStealthy, pallid, and dimassociations in the first lines of her poem, which associate with the gentleman caller. She then, fittingly groups the unruly wordsbrave, Bugles, bear and triumphin the latter lines of her poem, therefore strengthening the idea of Death’s abrupt and unexpected nature.
Death, portrayed as triumphant, continuously demonstrates a “bravery” that Ms. Dickinson affords to him. By brave, she is presenting a new, more uncouth Suitor who is “with Bugles,” which are instruments used to herald an event, or news. Line 8 marks the only irregular form in Dickinson’s poem. Though the iambic meter of the poem is consistent, this line does not follow the 7, then 4 syllable-line sequence that precedes and follows it. This line awkwardly places itself, with only 6 syllables to read. For the purpose of suddenly turning Death from supple to brave, Dickinson incorporated this line into the continuing metaphor. Sporadic off-rhyme was added at the end of lines 2 and 4
That wins at last Conducted first Lines 6 and 8, provide a more effective end rhyme And dim approach And a bisected Coach This picture of a Coachwhat we might see a young suitor, sweeping by to collect his darling inis alarmingly referring to a hearse that we might view at the funeral or burial of a friend or loved one. Line 9 explains that: It bears away in triumph To Troth unknown Rather than the idea of a sweet suitor wooing his love, we understand Death as he bears away, with his bride. “Troth” indicates a promise of faithfulness, as in a marriage, but, “To Troth unknown,” suggests quite the opposite.
The “supple suitor” sweeps his bride and takes her to a place where no man/woman wants to goto their grave. Ms. Dickinson in her original ending shifts to “Kindred” and then to “Kinsmen” in her variant ending. In her first ending, she expresses the lack of responses by making a comparison to Porcelain, which is lifeless, cold, and hard. Dickinson is speaking here, of the family we have joinedthe dead. “As divulgeless as throngs of Down” creates a great visual aid to readers of corpses in the ground. The word “divulgeless” emphasizes the lack of emotion, or life that is found in new “Kinsmen” that have fallen as victims to Death.
