Themself

“themself” -from Dickinson’s 613

The word “themself,” in it’s grammatically incorrect, confusing placement in this poem, provides the most insight into Dickinson’s idea of freedom. Since this poem is about the rebellion against oppression, (of women, language, etc.) it makes sense that she would use “themself” to emphasize her idea of Dickinson vs. the enemy (one single entity). She also switches pronouns in her poem, from “themself” to “she” to “himself,” which also emphasizes the abstract notion of a greater being, perhaps society itself.

This word demonstrates Dickinson’s precise use of wording in her poetry to complete an entire thought; each word, and often each line, cannot hold meaning by itself, but when placed together with other lines and other words, the whole poem becomes much more than the sum of it’s parts. She defends her creativity in poetry, as she describes that when “they shut me up in prose,” it only created a greater desire in her to seek freedom from “captivity.”