Introduction
Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain, two notable American literary figures, have produced a character to religion. Both of these characters are different but strong. With their insightful literary works, they further explore the mysteries of faith and spirituality and impact society with the influence of religious institutions. This composition deals with the fact that both Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain had different positions on organized religion, even though it is known that it was in the historical environment where they wrote. It also indicates whether they held the same side of the cultural divide as far as the issue of organized religion is concerned.
Historical Context
The lives of Emily Dickinson (1830- 1886) and Mark Twain (1835- 1910) came within the scope of American religious and social transformations. Dickinson belongs to the Second Great Awakening, a religious movement characterized by strong emotional intensity and new denominations spread through the entire United States population. The people of this era were very spiritual, and there were a lot of those who embraced religious extremist views and engaged in frenzied revivals.
While Twain lived through the wake of the Civil War and the advance of industry and scientific discovery, Short lived in the world of the Wild West, of the unclaimed lands and unknown dangers. This epoch was highly seen, including released skepticism against the religious beliefs and institutions that coexisted with scientific discoveries and technological advancement, which challenged traditional religious customs.
Treatment of Organized Religion in Dickinson’s Work
Through her poetry, Emily Dickinson deeply examines faith with all its aspects, including spirituality and the person’s connection with the church. Dickinson lived through her childhood years as a devout Calvinist, battling the doubts of faith that would accompany her throughout her life. However, she continued to be a religious worshipper, and in her main works, one can trace her distrust and doubt to organized religion and its structured traditions.
In poems like “Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church,” Dickinson challenges the conventional notion of religious observance: In poems like “Keep the Sabbath Going to Church,” Dickinson challenges the traditional idea of religious observance:
“Some maintain the Sabbath going to church on church—I stay at home worshipping as a verdurous cathedral ceiling is having scion of the Bobolink giving me serenade instead—an orchard for my studio.” (Dickinson).
This implies that in cases of disagreement with established religious beliefs, one can take communication with nature as a substitute for these rituals and concentrate on faith as a process of inner discovery. Through the mere act of staying home and having that ultimate peace with Mother Nature, Dickinson alludes to the idea that one can be spiritually satisfied without the ritual pronouncements of organized religion.
Similarly, in “The Soul Selects Her Society,” Dickinson asserts the autonomy of the soul in matters of faith: Similarly, in “The Soul Selects Her Society,” Dickinson asserts the independence of the soul in matters of faith:
”The Soul picks her crowd – Then – knocked down the door – To her inward group of Gods – Let them rest alone in peace. Here let me stay myself – wait – thee.” (Dickinson).
Dickinson’s favorite poem is one of the best ways she explains her belief in the individual’s freedom to pick his spiritual path, lacking any restriction from organized religion. The soul, which is the part that stands for the internal world, affirms its strength and sovereignty by preventing external influences from interfering in matters of faith.
Treatment of Organized Religion in Twain’s Works
Mark Twain, famous for his satirical talent and carefree manner, was a strong critic of organized religion and often employed it in his writing. Twain was born and raised as a Presbyterian kid, and so he gradually gained a mindset with disbelief of the official religious institutions and their slavish immersion in dogma. He voices the hypocrisy and religious cantonments through his essays and novels.
In “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Twain uses Miss Watson, who mocks Christianity by living as a slave-owner. The real values of Christianity in her life continue to be questioned. Huck’s moral conundrum of Twain emphasizes his work’s critique, which is the disengagement between religious dogmas and ethical conduct. For a boy who learned the superiority of Christian morality in his conscience, it became difficult to welcome this as reality and stand to the side. At the same time, his friend Jim, a runaway, enslaved person, was discriminated against.
Taylor’s essay “Letters from the Earth” provides a canon criticism from the clerical part of the religion. Through the form of an imaginary letter by Satan, frequenting upon the downright silliness of humankind retelling to Earth, It critiques the idiocies of ever-prevailing religious views and the contradictions in terms of faith nowadays. Via satire and irony, Twain doubts the belief that God watches over us, provides us with our daily bread, and inquires about formal religion’s reliability and honesty.
Were these authors on the same side of the culture war about organized religion?
In their works, Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain both showed skepticism about organized religion. Still, it is accidentally counseled for those who believe they are on the same team in the cultural war about organized religion to place them both on the same side. For Dickinson, religion was usually a thing that was internal and rich with some doubts and fears, over which she often wondered many difficult and intricate questions through her personal experiences. Twain, contrary to this, was using sarcasm and irony, and he was even making fun of the moral shortcomings of the institutionalized religion that he had observed. Though both writers imbibed a biting sense of religion, their techniques and key intentions were distinct. Unlike Dickinson, who concentrated more on personal search and piety, Twain’s disputing was outward and directed towards those who were imposed. Therefore, although they share some aspects, their approaches are divergent and at the poles of the spectrum on the cultural battle confronting organized religion.
Comparison
While some can see Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain as circling the same notion that they are sick of organized religion, their ways of expressing this differ in tone and attitude. Dickinson’s poetry showcases a thorough and synergistic interplay between faith and spirituality: the wonder for the supreme and the skepticism towards institutionalized religion. It is not uncommon to find such ambiguity and ambivalence in her poems as the recurring theme of her compositions appears to be a fair amount of wonder and awe towards the grand and complex nature of the invisible world that coexists with our often structured societies.
Twain’s satirical and comical pieces show the emptiness of religious cruelty, which makes them defenders of moral discrepancies and contradictions in religious institutions. Through refined satire and detailed scrutiny, the author makes the phony barriers of religious piety truthful out to be a real picture of the inconsistencies between beliefs and their accomplishment.
Even though their works were concluded with various themes, they both could not evade being affected by the times they lived in. Dickinson’s poetry encapsulates the ambiance of a strongly religious household she belonged to; she fought against herself and the social strings of questions and religious community expectations. On the one hand, Twain’s opinion is based on the individual’s effect on society and his subsequent criticism of the spiritual doctrine; on the other hand, the observation of hypocrisy is the cause of his disillusionment with institutionalized religion. Generally, both Edward Dickinson and Mark put forth their views on organized religion from an assumed vantage point, be it the upbringing or the philosophical perspectives. In a nutshell, the two authors Rhiming out a range of interesting reflections on faith in a novel.
Conclusion
Ultimately, two different perspectives on the role of religion in American Literature are showcased by Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain: the first being biting, while the other emphasizes dear affection. On the one hand, Dickinson can poetically and thoughtfully address the issues of faith and religion, using a mysterious tone and often challenging the predefined dogmas of religion, but on the other hand, making sure that her writing is sincere and imbued with a deep appreciation of the higher power. Despite their opposite ways of writing, the two authors stir readers to rethink the function of religion in civilization and its implications on our values and beliefs. Ultimately, these writers’ works call for re-examining conventional spiritual views and accepting those that concentrate on reflecting within and critically engaging with the institution of religion. In the opinions of Dickinson and Twain, readers are made to reflect on the radicalities of human spirituality and religious belief in the US cultural environment as it constantly develops.
Work Cited
Johnson, Thomas Herbert, ed. The complete poems of Emily Dickinson. Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company, 1961.
Chen, Y. U. “An Analysis of Mark Twain’s Humor in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Journal of Literature and Art Studies 12.4 (2022): 328-333https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/62676b08e1dec.pdf
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