Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts to her strict, successful parents Edward and Emily Dickinson. The Dickinson family was very religious, and attended church every Sunday. However, Emily was uncertain about her beliefs and was never able to fully commit to a single religion. Throughout her young life, Emily experienced several deaths of close family friends, and their tragic loses would forever impact her. The tragedies slowly darkened her soul, and set the stage for the strong resentment she felt towards God. After attending boarding school at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, and returning home, she began withdrawing herself from all social life in Amherst and refused to see most people. The emptiness and isolation that Dickinson began to feel at such a young age would later significantly impact her work. In 1850 a religious movement called The Great Revival began taking place, a renewal of Christian spirituality that inspired colossal amounts of people to officially join churches and congregations. While this inspired her father and other familys members to renew and deepen their faith in Christianity, it had no effect on the beliefs of Emily.