Emily Dickinson was most definitely a "tweener" in her time, because her philosophies were in between the Realism and Modernism period. In one regard, Emily Dickinson's philosophies had much to do with Realism. Emily Dickinson held on to the values that her parents had enstilled in her at a young age (Leiter). She believed in God and held religion at a high regard in her life. Her opinions of religion were so much so of the Modernism period, that she even had many Puritanistic views on Religion (Leiter). She struggled letting those Puritanistic views go as Modernism surrounded her more (Leiter). Therefore, she kept some of her old views, but at the same time she changed her perspective some on religion and began to question her faith and question what she believed, which scared her and at first caused her much guilt (Leiter). Ralph Waldo Emerson was an encouragement to Emily Dickinson in the pursuit of her own opinions and beliefs versus what she has always grown up knowing (Wayne). In one of Dickinson's poems, she says:
"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church —
I keep it, staying at Home — With a Bobolink for a Chorister —
And an Orchard, for a Dome —
Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice —
I just wear my Wings —
And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,
Our little Sexton — sings.
God preaches, a noted Clergyman —
And the sermon is never long,
So instead of getting to Heaven, at last —
I'm going, all along."
(The Spirituality of)
This poem shows Emily Dickinson's feelings of church and religion and that she no longer held them as highly important in her life, she thought she had things sorted by herself. Emily Dickinson was a "tweener" when it came to which writing period she belonged to. Emily seemed to really enjoy nature and value it as important, as seen in some of her poetry. Yet in some of her other poems, she seems not to care about nature. Emily Dickinson wrote often of heaven and even about immortality, yet how she wrote about those topics were not in the traditional way of writing about them.
In the Puritan world it was a common thing to always examine your inner life. Emily Dickinson did continually examine her inner life (Cornelius). She also engaged in some sort of inner dialogue with herself. There was much Puritan influence in her life, and the Puritan values were a whole way of thinking in her life (Cornelius). Emily Dickinson knew very well what all of the Puritan values, beliefs, and ways of life were. She had grown up learning and following them all of her life. Yet in many of her poems, Emily Dickinson seemed to appear critical of many of the Puritan beliefs (Cornelius). Emily Dickinson seemed to know what she believed in one poem, but then in the end seemed to have her emotions all mixed up about what she really did believe. Emily Dickinson was a "tweener" when it came to what she believed and what literary category she falls under.
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