We Grow Accustomed to the Dark

Like all of Emily Dickinson’s untitled poems, “We Grow Accustomed to the Dark” takes its title from the very first line (the title can be given title casing or adhere to its stylistic sentence casing as it appears in the text). The poem opens with the pronoun “We” (Line 1), introducing its unconventional fourth-person narrative perspective. The fourth-person voice is used to represent a collective consciousness: a group of people, a community, and identity, or humanity as a whole. In this instance the speaker is using “We” to refer not only to themselves and the reader symbiotically, but to human nature as a broader whole.

In the first stanza, several mid-sentence words are given capitalization: “Dark,” “Light,” “Neighbor,” “Lamp,” and “Goodbye” (Lines 1-4). When read aloud, this capitalization encourages the oral reader to linger on these particular words and give them extra emphasis; likely the poet was trying to make these keywords stand out from the rest of the text as signposts for the underlying themes.

The opening stanza uses three em-dashes across four lines, which creates an erratic and uncertain momentum that mirrors the speaker’s uncertainty. These breaks at the end of each line suggest that the speaker is stopping, starting, stumbling, and pausing in each moment of their new journey. From these opening lines, the dual meaning of light and darkness within the extended metaphor framework is immediately apparent: The stanza suggests that one’s eyes adjust to new darkness once a source of light is removed, such as a candle or lamp as seen here, or daylight. However, the shift from light to dark is about more than just physical vision. The speaker describes a state in which a “Neighbor” (Line 3), or a symbol of external human connection and support, removes its light and leaves the speaker alone. At this point the speaker’s mind is forced to adjust to a period of uncertainty and instability.

The second stanza continues this metaphor as the speaker takes a moment to assess their circumstance—the rhythm of this state of being is again implied in the use of em-dash and caesura (See: Literary Devices)—before taking a step into the darkness. This moment is pivotal in the poem because although the choice is “uncertain” (Line 5), a choice is being made. In this stanza, em-dashes are being used both at the end of lines and internally, emphasizing the staggered uncertainty the speaker is experiencing. However, it is only through making this choice that they are able to “meet the Road […] erect” (Line 8). This stanza capitalizes “Moment,” “Vision,” “Dark,” and “Road” to lend extra emphasis to these points. In these moments, the speaker recounts how they “fit our Vision to the Dark” (Line 7)—in other words, the darkness around them does not change; it is the speaker who changes to function in this new darkness.

The third stanza marks a turning point in the poem as the established underlying metaphor is elevated. The stanza begins “And so” (Line 9), using simile to draw a parallel between these two manifestations of darkness. The speaker expresses that these truths about adjusting to visual darkness are equally true about adjusting to the “larger […] Darknesses” of the mind (Line 9). The word choice here to express these “darknesses” is “Evenings” (Line 10); notably, this is not a period of complete darkness, but of approaching darkness. Evening is a time of receding light and a growing awareness of what the world will look like once that light is gone. Here, the sense of uncertainty and isolation is heightened by the lack of light: “not a Moon disclose a sign— / Or Star—come out—within” (Lines 11-12). This suggests that the speaker is waiting and hoping for some external sense of direction—a “sign”—but is left only to their own instincts. The poem juxtaposes this external light with internal light: the star “within” (Line 12). In this moment, the speaker is left in complete external and internal darkness.

Following this onslaught, the fourth stanza maps the forward motion as the “Bravest” (Line 13) attempt to make their way forward. The implication here is that it takes unprecedented courage to continue moving without any guidance or light. These people who move forward into the darkness are utterly alone, and yet they persevere. The path forward is not without its obstacles: They stumble into things and encounter setbacks, coming up against challenges they did not have the foresight to prepare for. It’s the willingness to face these challenges head on that makes these people brave. With patience and perseverance, they are rewarded for their courage with new insight: “they learn to see” (Line 16), and find their way.

The final stanza closes the poem with an image of hope and illumination. The speaker isn’t sure if this illumination comes from a dispersion of darkness, or simply a newfound ability to see in the darkest of times: “Either the Darkness alters— / Or something in the sight / Adjusts itself to Midnight” (Lines 17-19). Perhaps the point is that it doesn’t matter, as long as the speaker and the collective they represent are able to move forward. Whether their progress is a result of enhanced vision or a brightening, the implication is that this clarity is a result, and in some ways a reward, of the speaker’s journey to reach this moment. Had they remained in another’s light, they would not have discovered their own ability to see.

The final line offers a sense of completion: “And Life steps almost straight” (Line 20). The path ahead is not without any obstacles at all, as seen in the pivotal “almost”; however, this keyword is kept in lowercase letters while “Life” is capitalized, suggesting that embracing life in spite of these obstacles is what really matters. In this way, the poem acts as a call to action and a statement of encouragement to the reader to continue moving forward during their own periods of darkness, so that they too can better perceive what life has to offer.