I have been trying and trying to figure out "Our journey had advanced" for so long. I have liked Dickinson, because, for some reason, I tend to identify with the "crazy" (don't get me started on crazy) literary figures in history. I like that she is succinct. I like that she holed herself away in a room by herself to think deeply about life. She did a really good job at being deep, so I'm glad she did it. Most of the time, I like that space between completely understanding a poem and not knowing what the heck is going on... most of the time. Here is an exception. Am I reading too much into this little poem? That last stanza just gets me!
"Retreat was out of hope, --
Behind, a sealed route,
Eternity's white flag before,
And God at every gate."
So they didn't go through the "forest of the dead"... they retreated, out of hope, but behind them was sealed. They couldn't go back, so they were faced to look forward at eternity's white flag of surrender. And God was at "every" gate. Part of me imagines some journey with multiple choices, but typically there's only one gate. What is the fork? Are there multiple choices once they get to the end where they're surrendering? I just can't seem to figure out what she's saying about death. Is she reaching an end, or does she have to pass through this forest to get to eternity on the other side-- an eternity that has multiple cities with multiple gates, all of which guarded by God.
I just don't know. But I sorta like not knowing with Dickinson!
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Your post intrigued me because I loved that last stanza as well and I think you brought up some great points about it! I really like your idea of it being a journey that concludes in multiple choices.
ReplyDeleteI take it to be a metaphor for our lives and the choices we make in life. Once we choose a certain path, there really isn't any turning back ("Retreat was out of hope"). I also took the white flag to signify surrender...kind of like when you reach the end of the road, you have no choice but to resign to the decisions you previously made. While the words imply finality, I also see hope in them. The fact that she wrote God is present at every gate seems to be conveying the idea that there are many right paths one can take. It also reminds me of a quote, "There are many paths to the same place." Perhaps Dickinson is telling us that while everyone is different and makes different life decisions, in the end (or, rather, in eternity) we are all given equal judgement. And I agree- I enjoy the mystery of reading Dickinson!