Much Madness is divinest Sense- The poem is a form of protest against the society that blindly
follows the majority, disregarding the minority in its wake without being considerate to the
truth of right and wrong. The poem is a strong voice of individuality and personal freedom
Meanings of Lines 1-4
The speaker states that some discerning eyes or rational people who can see through things can
see that in madness, there is some divine sense. They can sense that something divine is lurking
behind irrational problems or things that seem rational. However, when a majority of people
look at the same things, they see the starkest madness. They see that it is completely irrational,
and it happens in the case of things that make sense to other people. In both cases, it happens
due to a difference in perspective or way of looking at things. These terse and concise four
verses add to the overall meaning of the poem by presenting two perspectives on the same
thing.
Meanings of Lines 5-8
The speaker further states that majority opinion always prevails, and what a majority thinks
makes sense. In other words, if the majority agrees with you, then you are sane and not rational,
and if the majority does not agree, you are declared dangerous. Then you are put behind bars
and declared a dangerous person not to be freed in society. This stanza also shows the evolution
of the social mores and norms into legal injunctions whose violation invites legal action in the
shape of imprisonment. Therefore, this stanza further adds to the main idea of the poem in that
it shows how two perspectives lead to legality and legitimacy in one and illegality in another
sense.
Summary of Much Madness is Divinest Sense
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Popularity of “Much Madness is Divinest Sense”: Emily Dickenson, one of the
distinguished American poets wrote this poem. It’s a short poem and yet thoughtprovoking. The poem is about divine wisdom and madness towards religion. It was first
published in 1890. The poem illustrates how society deals with spiritual people who do
not follow their norms.
“Much Madness is Divinest Sense” Criticism on the Judgmental Society: The poem
presents a stark comparison between madness and sanity. The poet used concise terms to
explain how madness is related to a sense of divinity. According to the poet, every soul
possesses madness. Society uses the word madness for those who do not join hands with
it and prefer spirituality. She argues that some people determine their rules by
themselves, but their actions are disliked by judgmental society. No doubt, most of
people religiously follow the rules set by society to bring peace in their lives. But those
who do not accept those norms have to endure hardships. Moreover, they are considered
dangerous to society.
Major Themes in “Much Madness is Divinest Sense”: Spirituality, sanity, and madness
are the major themes of this poem. The poem presents two important things: the poet’s
definition of madness and what society thinks madness is. It demonstrates the anger and
battle against the limits imposed by the authoritarian society. The writer states how
society forces people to join them and follow the norms blindly. She speaks about those
who rebel against society and prefer isolating themselves from their rigidity. It is due to
their indifferent behavior they face hatred and severe criticism.