Explore a detailed summary of “I’m Wife – I’ve Finished That” by Emily Dickinson. Uncover the poem’s themes of womanhood, identity, and societal roles in this insightful analysis.
I’m Wife – I’ve Finished That Poem Summary By Emily Dickinson
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Summary of I’m Wife- I’ve Finished That By Emily Dickinson
Introduction
Emily Dickinson’s poem “I’m Wife – I’ve Finished That” is a short but deeply reflective composition that presents the social role of a woman, the reality of marriage and the inner feeling within her. This poem reflects the introspection of a woman who has become a ‘wife’ and now sees the life of a ‘spinster woman’ as a principle, an outdated state.
This poem contains a complete life view in just a few lines. In her poem, Dickinson makes a sharp satire on the identity of a woman, her social bondage, the limits of freedom and the effect of marriage. This poem highlights the feelings that often remain deeply buried within a woman after marriage.
Line-by-Line Analysis
1. “I’m ‘Wife’—I’ve finished that—”
In this first line itself, the poetess deeply points towards two phases of a woman’s life—the life of a bachelor and the life of a wife. By saying “I’ve finished that”, she makes it clear that she has now left that old life behind, as if it were an old chapter which has now ended.
Here, becoming a ‘wife’ is an identity, and with the word ‘That’ she is talking about the life of a bachelor, her independence, and self-reliance which she can now see only in memory or imagination.
2. “That other state—”
‘That other state’ means the life of a bachelor. The poetess now sees it only as a past state. It is no longer worth experiencing for her, but only worth analyzing. This is an indication that after marriage there is a big change in the status and thinking of a woman.
3. “I’m Czar—I’m ‘Woman’ now—”
Here she calls herself ‘Czar’ (king or powerful person), which can directly mean that she has assumed an important and powerful role. But at the same time she says “I’m Woman now” – that is, now she is not just a woman, but has become a social identity – a wife.
This line has many hidden meanings. On one hand it seems to be a symbol of strength, but on the other hand it is also a satire that after becoming a wife, a woman’s identity as an ‘independent woman’ gets suppressed somewhere.
4. “It’s safer so—”
This line is very important. “It’s safer so” – it means that becoming a wife is an acceptable, safe and stable role in the eyes of society. But Dickinson is using it satirically here. She is not saying that it is right, but rather that it is ‘safe’ because society believes so.
This ‘safety’ comes at the cost of a woman’s freedom. That is, marriage may get her the acceptance of society, but in return a woman has to sacrifice her freedom, dreams and her own will.
5. “How odd the Girl’s life looks—Behind this soft Eclipse—”
Here the poet calls marriage a ‘soft eclipse’. That is, it is not a terrible or visible change, but it gradually covers the woman’s life – like a lunar eclipse. The life of that ‘girl’, that is, the state before marriage, now seems strange – like something old, blurred, strange.
6. “I think that Earth feels so—To those in Heaven—now—”
Here the poet compares two states of life by taking the metaphor of Earth and Heaven. She says that now her ‘old life’ seems like the life on earth to people who have gone to heaven – very far away, different and irrelevant.
This is a kind of psychological change. Once a woman gets married, she does not forget her old existence, but it does not feel the same anymore – it remains a fantasy.
7. “This being comfort—then That Day—”
Here she talks about the day – the day she got married, or when she became a wife. She says that if this state (wife) is comfortable, pleasant, then that day becomes important, because from that day onwards everything changed.
8. “That Day I put a Country off—”
This last line is very symbolic. “I left a country” – by this ‘country’ she means that old life, that free world where she could think for herself. She sees marriage as a person leaving his country and going to another regime.
Key Themes
1. Woman’s identity and social role:
The poem divides the woman’s identity into two parts – ‘girl’ and ‘wife’. The poetess shows that after marriage, the woman’s social status changes, and she is no longer independent. Her identity of ‘wife’ starts weighing on her existence.
2. Marriage – bondage or security?:
Dickinson calls marriage a ‘soft eclipse’, which gradually covers the woman’s old identity. Society sees it as a security, but the poetess raises a question on this – is it really security, or a beautiful trap?
3. Freedom vs. Social Acceptance:
The poem shows that a woman has two options – either she lives an independent life, or becomes a wife for social acceptance. But both cannot happen together. Dickinson presents this dilemma in a very subtle and sarcastic language.
4. Memory of Old Life:
After becoming a wife, the poet sees her old life as an idea or philosophy. She can now only think, not experience. This poem presents memory, distance and mental change very sensitively.
Style & Tone
This poem by Emily Dickinson is very layered despite being brief. It shows deep satire, use of symbols, and psychological insight. The style of the poem is subtle – nothing is said directly, but there is a hidden message in every line.
His specialty is – the use of dash (-), which breaks the rhythm of thoughts, and gives depth to every piece.
Social and Feminist View of the Poem
This poem is not just a woman’s self-realization, but also gives a big social message. Dickinson is trying to tell that for women, marriage is not just love or a relationship, but a social institution that defines and controls them.
This poem is important from a feminist point of view because it shows how social expectations in a woman’s life affect her identity.
Conclusion
Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Wife – I’ve Finished That” is a short but very deep poem that raises sharp questions on a woman’s existence, her identity and the rules of society. This poem is the story of every woman who remembers her old form after marriage – sometimes with a smile, sometimes with regret.
This poem by Dickinson forces us to think whether a woman is really able to save her identity even after becoming a ‘wife’? Or does she just get molded into the definition of society?
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