I read this poem as Dickinson’s rationale for her unique lifestyle and beliefs on forming friendships and relationships. She was remembered as extremely reserved with only a few close friends, so in a way, she is the “soul” that selects “her own society.” Once the soul chooses her people, she unapologetically “shuts the Door”, so that not even those that are divine can enter. This suggests that the speaker’s resolve to live in relative solitude, in a small society, is unwavering even in the face of divine beings or important people, like the Emperor that is kneeling by the gate. The soul lives by her own rules rather than following the “divine Majority” that might value prestige and power. Instead, the soul values her own independence and freedom to choose whom she wants to associate with. The constant use of caesura in the form of dashes in and at the end of each line creates a physical separation between the inner society the speaker creates, and the outer world.
At first, I thought the soul and the speaker to be one, but I noticed that the speaker describing the soul in third person rather than just writing the poem in first person creates a certain distinction. This creates a deeper reasoning for why the speaker, or Dickinson, lives this way. It is her soul from within that makes these decisions, rather than the speaker herself. She cannot control it; it is only natural that her soul does this. Yet, in a way, this contradicts my previous point that living in relative solitude is a choice. It is the choice of the soul, and that dictates the way the speaker lives.
The last line compares the soul to a stone, unchanging and unwavering. The stone is self-reliant and doesn’t let anyone in. At the same time, it also lacks emotion and humanness. I was curious if Dickinson meant to write this part in a positive or negative light, since it can be read in different ways. Might the choice to choose your own small society and shut the rest of the world have some downsides? Or is it a simply a strong conviction of independence and way to protect oneself?
