Dickinson, The Chariot- Close Reading Lines 1-4
“Because I could not stop for Death-
He kindly stopped for me-
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.”
Dickinson starts out the first line by immediately letting us (the readers) know that the poem is about death, and that she didn’t have a choice about when she was going to die. She reminds us that it’s not really up to us when we die. “He kindly stopped for me,” this line leads the readers to understand that the narrator has a calm acceptance of death and that she’s going to enjoy the ride. It even hints at the fact that the narrator is going to escape this meeting with Death alive. Lines 3-4 let us know that at this point it’s just the speaker and death but the word “Immortality” helps us believe that the speaker doesn’t see death as the end but rather a step towards eternal life.