Meghan Edwards
“Heaven All Along—Indeterminacy and Fluidity of Meaning in Emily Dickinson’s
‘Some Keep the Sabbath’
Emily Dickinson’s poetry, while prolific, has been known to baffle the minds of nonacademics and academics alike. One of the primary reasons for this is the constant indeterminacy
that occurs throughout the lines of her poetry. An unfamiliar reader with Dickinson may assume
that there is a singular, however complex, meaning to the particular poem and stop at that.
However, one of Dickinson’s primary skills was to produce a fluidity of meaning that changes
with each punctuation or draft of the poem that she had written. Dickinson’s use of her
dictionary was also masterful; the various definitions, archaic and modern, produce a variety of
meanings and connotations that can completely change the reader’s impression of the poem.
“Some Keep the Sabbath on Sunday—” is one example of a poem that has several, fluid
interpretations. Dickinson produced three drafts of this poem (called “A,” “B,” and “C” in this
paper), all of which contain very different forms of punctuation. By looking at the variants in her
drafts and punctuation, as well as the fluidity of definition, this poem can be a somewhat gentle
way of establishing spirituality or a harsh critique of Christian tradition (although these are by no
means the only ways of interpreting this poem).
The three versions of this poem provide very different examples of Dickinson’s
hyphenation and comma use. Version “A” utilizes virtually no hyphens, opting instead for
commas. The overall effect of this makes the poem much gentler than the other two. Its speaker
lists its differences, discussing them rather than insisting on the proper way for spirituality. “B,”
on the other hand, is riddled with them, giving the impression of a very contemplative speaker.
The constant stop-and-go that the hyphens insist on also force the reader to dwell on every
couple words, implying that the speaker, unable to continue smoothly, may be struggling with
her ideas of faith just as the reader struggles to read. Finally, with version “C,” Emily Dickinson
finds a compromise between the two, giving the reader a more confident insistence on
spirituality rather than a contemplative struggle.
Line by line, the hyphens and commas create another, different reading. On lines 1 and 2,
“B” has hyphens after “Some” and “I,” attributes which the other versions lack. This effectively
separates the speaker and society from the rest of their line, alienating both the speaker and the
rest of the world. They are clearly on divided grounds, a reading that “A” and “C” lack, as they
don’t have the barriers that punctuation provides. The separation of the nouns “some” and “I” is
also present in lines 5 and 6 of “B,” as well as the final “I’m,” keeping the barriers between
Dickinson’s speaker and the rest of the worshipping world consistent. Line 9 is punctuated
considerably different among all three versions. “A” reads, “God preaches—a noted clergyman.”
The punctuation here reads two ways; either God’s status is assessed as an important clergyman,
or having an important clergyman is the thing that God preaches. The difference between the two
readings perhaps indicates the two views that occur between Dickinson’s speaker and the
religiously ostentatious society. Dickinson’s speaker does not need anyone to tell and interpret
her sermons, whereas everyone else deems that God’s word attests the necessity of having a
famous preacher. “B” has three divides which separate “God,” “preaches,” and “a noted
Clergyman.” This separation stumbles, making the reader concentrate on all three parts. It is as if
the reader must consider all of these options. Does God preach? And furthermore, does he preach
of (or to, for that matter) noted clergymen? Finally, version “C” provides one of the more simple
readings; a comma separates “preaches” and “noted,” and a hyphen finishes the line. This less
insistent stop indicates that God is, indeed, an important layman.
The final line’s variation is also of note. Version “A’s” “I’m going all along” contains no
punctuation whatsoever. This implies an easygoing lack of doubt; the speaker is almost hurrying
to Heaven, whereas everyone else must suffer in chosen asceticism until the end. “B” provides a
similar idea, but through different means. This last line has hyphens before and after “going.”
This again embodies the stumbling sensation that the abundant hyphens create. However, it also
creates a step-like effect. The speaker receives a blissful rest every step of her life; everyone else,
on the other hand, receive this important divided stop at the end of the previous line, literally
letting them have their rest “at last.” “C” merely places a comma between “going” and “along,”
implying a gentle transition to peace; it does not contain the hard, forced rests of “B,” nor is it in
any hurry to get to the end; it already has the peace of Paradise.
There are other variants within this piece that provide indeterminacy. For example,
Dickinson developed line 9 in more than just hyphenation. Version “B’s” line 9 states, “ ‘God’—
preaches—a noted Clergyman-” One can sense sarcasm here, both because of the quotes and the
italics. Dickinson not only chooses to worship differently, but that which she worships is also
different; society’s notion of “God” is foreign—if not laughable—to Dickinson. He is not God to
her at all. The italics in the line further underscore that statement. “Noted” changes its meaning.
Dickinson doesn’t believe it at all; rather, God is only “noted” because of the faithful, not his
skill. “A” and “C” have neither the quotation nor the italicized words and so they lose a little of
their bite. One could easily infer that Dickinson does indeed worship God, but on her own time
and in her own way. And thus he is “noted,” because he is the source of all preaching in the first
place.
Dickinson also varied the last lines of “Some keep the Sabbath going to Church-” For
“A” and “C,” line eleven reads, “So instead of going to (H)/heaven at last—,” whereas “B” states,
“So—instead of getting to Heaven at last—” There are several key differences here. First, there
is the matter of “getting” vs. “going.” As with most variations in “B,” the effect of “getting” is
much more biting than the other two. By using “getting,” Dickinson notes that Heaven is,
ultimately, a reward. We receive it at long last. However, because it is a reward—or a present, of
sorts—there is also the implication that this is the only reason that the faithful Sunday
worshippers attend service. The line following this is a contrast, saying that she is “going, all
along.” Thus, Dickinson’s worship is much more pure; it emulates the purity of Heaven.
Furthermore, she is not looking to worship for some ultimate reward. It is one in of itself and she
constantly receives it. Because the other versions both use “going” for the last two lines, there is
at least some equivalency between the two forms of worship in them. Both Dickinson and the
rest of the worshippers are striving for the same thing, albeit at different paces. Also changing
throughout the versions is the capitalization of “Heaven,” although, curiously enough, “B” and
“C” both bear the capitalization and stand against “A” for comparison. By capitalizing Heaven,
Dickinson makes it a distinct place. It follows a clearer Christian doctrine because the reader can
identify it with the reward that it mentioned in scripture. However, “A’s” version doesn’t identify
a place at all. Instead, “heaven” is a normal noun; it can be a state rather than the Christian
reward. This reading not only underscores Dickinson’s dismissal of Christian customs, it also
acknowledges that Dickinson’s worship is a better one. She is constantly happy and at peace,
unlike the rest, who only find peace at the end—and, since heaven is not necessarily a place in
this poem, that rest may only be the sleep of death.
Finally, one can also examine the indeterminacy of the poem by looking at several of
Dickinson’s word choices, as well as the alternate meanings that they produce. Line 5 reads,
“Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice—” This can be read two ways. First, there is a literal
reading; a surplice is a white habit often worn by clergymen of the Church of England. Thus,
Dickinson is commenting that some live like priests on Sunday, or become priests. By
associating with the Church of England, the reader may also infer that theirs is the form of
worship that Dickinson criticizes. However, “surplice” also sounds similar to “surplus,” a
mistake that Dickinson’s peers and certainly modern readers may make. This, then, criticizes all
worshippers, particularly those who spend their Sabbath in harsh asceticism, as opposed to a
more joyful worship of the natural world that God has created. Another word of note is in line 7,
“tolling.” Again, this word can be read literally. Those keeping the Sabbath at Church are calling
the rest of the congregation to worship. However, if one looks at another definition of toll, “to
take away,” one can infer that the readers are paying some sort of price for their ultimate reward.
This is certainly a meaning that modern readers may look at, as “toll” also implies a highway tax.
In line 6, Dickinson “wear(s) (her) wings—” The more forthcoming definition implies
that Dickinson does not need the frivolity of church garb; she simply puts on the purity that her
worship practices. However, “wear” can also mean “to diminish” and so Dickinson’s speaker
receives a little more agency. She utilizes her wings and so they deteriorate with use. Finally,
there is also “keep,” occurring in lines one, two, and five. The first definition, “attend to,” gives
the reader the impression that this is how the world spends their Sundays—in heavy worship.
However, “keep” can also mean “to have in custody for preservation” or to “sustain.” This has
the connotation that the ways in which the individuals spend are fairly antiquated. If they are
preserving them, then one of the main reasons that they adhere to Christian tradition is only for
traditionalism; it may have lost its meaning.
In “Some Keep the Sabbath on Sunday—” readers of Dickinson can establish the
indeterminacy of meaning through punctuation, variants, and multiple definitions of words. By
doing so, we not only recognize Dickinson’s skill as a poet, but we are also able to determine a
lesson that Dickinson may have wanted to teach her readers (at least her intended ones)—the
constant fluidity of words themselves; meaning is arbitrary and allows the reader to produce a
variety of viable responses.