The Buzz of a Fly in a Passing Dream

There are truths that man will never know, simple thoughts that are just beyond his grasp. In every unattainable fact there is a barrier that no one can cross. Sometimes the barrier is time, sometimes the laws of physics, but most commonly, it is death. Death, that impassible barrier cutting off all possibilities of contact with the deceased, allows nothing to pass it. Former words, relationships, and thoughts from one person are all suddenly lost. There is no way of recovering those exact thoughts. The only hope we have of discovering that previous knowledge lies in the scraps of literary evidence that person left behind.

The poems of Emily Dickenson are so. The poem, "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" has proved to be the most puzzling to interpret, simply because Dickenson can no longer tell us it's true meaning. The first and most obvious interpretation of the poem is that Dickenson is talking about life after death, more specifically, the passing from this life to the next. Here she describes her excitement in waiting to see "The King be witnessed in his power." She will no longer need her possessions when the Savior comes to whisk her away to salvation. But then a fly interrupts. This insignificant insect brings the sad reality that there will be no bright lights and no singing. The disappointment settles as the fly does upon the head of the deceased. The lovely poet's 'spectacular ending' is just a fly buzz, then darkness, when she could "no longer see to see." The other interpretation is less obvious, but just as probable. Our poet, instead of lying on her deathbed, lies in a dream unaware. A dream where she has lived her life, and now, awaits the great salvation she will receive. She divides her possessions, preparing to give them away, and she awaits the glorious return of her savior, only to be interrupted by a fly. The fly snaps her back into reality, causing those night visions of glory to fade. The "windows" that she saw to heaven disappeared, and now what she had seen of heaven, she could no longer see, but could only long for. See to see, is actually opening eyes.

Our poet seemed at first to be writing from death. But further pondering seems to show that she was putting a creative spin on a disappointing dream. While opinions vary on the interpretation of the poem, the reader can still see that there is one overarching theme. Emily Dickenson, in actuality, is describing