This World is not Conclusion

While defining the various lengths people have gone to and the sufferings they have endured in order to “gain” (Line 10) admission into the world “beyond” (Line 2), Dickinson makes mention of crucifixion. She writes, “To gain it, Men have borne / Contempt of Generations / And Crucifixion” (Lines 10-12). In order to “gain” or be worthy of eternal life, believers have willingly suffered persecution and even died, a central principle of the Christian faith. Of course, the mention of crucifixion strongly connotes the crucifixion of Christ, the most famous instance of that form of execution. Dickinson references crucifixion precisely because it represents the pinnacle of Christian suffering and martyrdom. Bold men may have willingly submitted to the worst form of suffering to demonstrate their faith and their merit for the world to come, but Dickinson sees this perspective as overly simplistic. She dismisses this kind of martyrdom as merely a show of bravado and another form of overcompensation for the lingering doubts and uncertainties of faith.