On the other hand, it is important to note that this "religion" is not conventional but the newly created Transcendental myth that says, through connection to the oversoul, it is possible to reach out and "gather paradise." In other words, the realm of the oversoul is the only true place where humans and nature are in complete harmony, and for this reason it seems quite like a paradise.
Dickinson suggests, then, that the oversoul becomes the only channel in which the women of this restricted era may seek their own identity and find a connection with the whole of humanity. Dickinson illustrates this quite well throughout "I dwell in Possibility"; as Weisbuch and New demonstrate, the Transcendental ideal played a major part in her poetry, just as it perhaps played a role in the later readers of the work. Critical readings of Emily Dickinson's "I dwell in Possibility" suggest that Emily Dickinson had found a way to survive in a world not quite alien to her but a world which she viewed as being unaware of the wealth of communication available through poetry. According to critics, Emily Dickinson's poetry was her life, a life which was filled with double meanings and contradictions; these double meanings and contradictions became embedded in her poetry and provided it with provocativeness and richness. While the critics focus on different aspects of "I dwell in Possibility," they all agree that in this poem Emily Dickinson describes poetry as providing her the freedom to see beyond the obvious and thus allows her to explore endless possibilities without discretion or interruption. In Emily Dickinson's Poetry, Robert Weisbuch explains that Emily Dickinson lived in an intellectual Paradise that allowed her to use poetry to navigate her mind into uncharted and forbidden places through various meanings and uses of words. Weisbuch notes that "Dickinson discovered that the most ordinary word, tenderly nurtured in the mind's rich soil, could become a signifier of utmost mysteries . . ." (1). He explains that Emily Dickinson used words to enable her to circumnavigate the usual and invent the sublime in her mind. Weisbuch uses "I dwell" in the introduction to his book as an example of Emily Dickinson's unique vision. Words such as "chambers" and "impregnable" used in conjunction with a word like "everlasting" give rise to the idea of a dense, impenetrable, confined space. Yet the house described in the poem was not impenetrable but was, instead, a secure house of freedom.
Dickinson suggests, then, that the oversoul becomes the only channel in which the women of this restricted era may seek their own identity and find a connection with the whole of humanity. Dickinson illustrates this quite well throughout "I dwell in Possibility"; as Weisbuch and New demonstrate, the Transcendental ideal played a major part in her poetry, just as it perhaps played a role in the later readers of the work. Critical readings of Emily Dickinson's "I dwell in Possibility" suggest that Emily Dickinson had found a way to survive in a world not quite alien to her but a world which she viewed as being unaware of the wealth of communication available through poetry. According to critics, Emily Dickinson's poetry was her life, a life which was filled with double meanings and contradictions; these double meanings and contradictions became embedded in her poetry and provided it with provocativeness and richness. While the critics focus on different aspects of "I dwell in Possibility," they all agree that in this poem Emily Dickinson describes poetry as providing her the freedom to see beyond the obvious and thus allows her to explore endless possibilities without discretion or interruption. In Emily Dickinson's Poetry, Robert Weisbuch explains that Emily Dickinson lived in an intellectual Paradise that allowed her to use poetry to navigate her mind into uncharted and forbidden places through various meanings and uses of words. Weisbuch notes that "Dickinson discovered that the most ordinary word, tenderly nurtured in the mind's rich soil, could become a signifier of utmost mysteries . . ." (1). He explains that Emily Dickinson used words to enable her to circumnavigate the usual and invent the sublime in her mind. Weisbuch uses "I dwell" in the introduction to his book as an example of Emily Dickinson's unique vision. Words such as "chambers" and "impregnable" used in conjunction with a word like "everlasting" give rise to the idea of a dense, impenetrable, confined space. Yet the house described in the poem was not impenetrable but was, instead, a secure house of freedom.
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