18 pages • 36 minutes read
Emily Dickinson"Faith" is a fine invention
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1891A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Two Kinds of Sight
The presence of “see” (Line 2) and “Microscopes” (Line 3) centers the poem on the theme of sight. The poem contrasts two different types of visions. The first is “Faith” (Line 1), which links to an intangible, spiritual sight. The second is “Microscopes,” which relates to a scientific and quantifiable sight. To test their hypothesis, a scientist doesn’t rely on their faith but firm evidence, and a microscope often helps them gather the applicable concrete data. Meanwhile, someone with faith doesn’t need a microscope since what powers their beliefs isn’t material but immaterial or an unquantifiable, spiritual intuition. As the poem brings together these two seemingly opposite kinds of sights, the theme of sight carries quite a bit of tension.
The antagonism starts in the first sentence: “‘Faith’ is a fine invention / For Gentlemen who see!” (Lines 1-2). The speaker calls faith an “invention,” which twists the juxtaposition. Like the microscope, people invented faith, so both are a product of the human mind. Yet there’s still a sharp difference between faith and microscopes since the former is for people “who see!” (Line 2) and the latter is “prudent / In an Emergency!” (Lines 3-4). The speaker challenges the idea of faith while upholding its value. They refer to faith as an invention, which is cheeky and might offend people with religious beliefs. Yet they don’t completely dismiss faith as the speaker admits that some of those who have faith can accurately assess the world.
In the second sentence, the speaker says the sights beget by “Microscopes are prudent / In an Emergency!” (Lines 3-4). Even if a person has a sincere faith and can view the world clearly through that faith, if they’re in a precarious predicament—an emergency—it might be wise or prudent for them to resort to a microscope since, unlike faith, a microscope presumably offers conclusive, irrefutable evidence.
In a sense, the second sentence deescalates the conflicting theme. An alternate reading could say the two different kinds of sights don’t compete with one another but complement each other. Faith is fine in general, but if a crisis emerges, a person should seriously consider using a microscope. Now, the microscope doesn’t replace faith but supplements it.
Undercutting Masculine Gender Norms
Dickinson’s poem turns the common noun “gentlemen” into a proper noun, “Gentlemen” (Line 2), and, thus, introduces the theme of gender. Gentlemen are historically male, so the poem plays with norms that privilege men. As Susan Howe’s depiction of gender norms indicates, in Dickinson’s time, men possessed authority. They were the arbitrators of knowledge, and sexist norms routinely placed women in a passive, subjugated role. Men expected women to obey them and follow their commands.
In “‘Faith’ is a fine invention,” the speaker undercuts the aura surrounding men. The upper-class “Gentlemen” (Line 2) comes across as derisive. The speaker makes up a social class for men. They inflate men, which indicates that a man’s position in society is exaggerated. The speaker also debates the authority of men by questioning their sight. Yes, some “Gentlemen” can see, but not all “Gentlemen” can see.
More so, the “Gentlemen” (Line 2) don’t hold all the answers. The speaker has to instruct them on when to rely on faith and when to use a microscope, so the mysterious, non-gendered speaker seems smarter than them. The reliance on a microscope further dents the autonomy of men since “[i]n an Emergency” (Line 4), they have to depend on it. In her poem, Dickinson addresses the theme of gender to call attention to the fallibility of men and poke holes in their supposed monopoly over knowledge and insight.
The Usefulness of Technology
Dickinson lived through a time of significant technological innovations, which impacted Dickinson’s period and, specifically, the brutality of the Civil War. The development of rifles and the railroad made it easier to kill and transport the troops and weapons needed to destroy and kill. The rise in photography allowed regular people to see the devastation of the war, with photographers like Mathew Brady using images to document the war’s harrowing consequences. In Dickinson’s poem, the theme of technology is critical. Both faith and microscopes are technological devices. They’re things people use to accomplish something: See.
Calling faith a “fine invention” (Line 1) is somewhat contentious since faith has religious implications. Yet perhaps the speaker doesn’t mean it negatively. Similar to technology, faith serves a practical purpose: It helps people assess the world, like a photograph or a microscope. The speaker doesn’t dismiss the positive aspects of faith. However, they do offer a qualification: “In an Emergency” (Line 4), a person might want to consider switching over to another technological device—the microscope.
In Dickinson’s poem, technology is helpful. At the same time, the theme of technology isn’t free of tension. The dual presence of faith and microscopes indicates that a person can’t rely on just one: They have to balance the two, and figuring out when to use one over the other could cause problems, which the speaker doesn’t neatly solve as they don’t elaborate on the meaning of “Emergency” (Line 4).
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By Emily Dickinson
