Time Heals

When Dickinson writes, she packs every line with such depth of meaning. In, "After great pain, a formal feeling comes," her imagery and metaphors are so tactfully chosen and placed. This poem goes into detail about how one naturally chooses to deal with their experiences of pain and suffering. It explores how time and progression through life have a slow, but definitive effect on one's perspective of the experiences he has undergone.

When she speaks of the, "Feet, mechanical," going round, one can almost see the "feet" of a clock slowly turning. As this clock turns and life progresses on, one's "regardless" begins to grow for the pain he has encountered. The memories begin to fade and the experience has been transformed from something traumatic to a lesson learned. When Dickinson speaks of a, "Quartz contentment," perhaps she is speaking of a contentment that is commonly found as quartz is such a commonly found stone. This contentment slowly begins to deepen and root itself into the heart of one who has faced hardships until it becomes something solid. Dickinson's language is so metaphoric that many times it is hard to pin down what she is trying to say.

In the last stanza, she has written of how, "Freezing persons, recollect the Snow--/ First--Chill--then Stupor--then letting go--." This phrase is so applicable to one's life. It speaks of remembering those hardships we have faced and the "chill" that follows thereafter. We are then, in a way, dumbstruck which causes confusion and misunderstanding. But ultimately we conclude that sometimes obstacles faced are simply part of life--and to hold on to them is to prevent ourselves from continuing on our journey. Letting go takes effort, but as time progresses, it empowers us to make that decision and to see things objectively.