Personification is when an abstract concept is given an anthropomorphic form. Emily Dickinson's poem personifies death as a kindly carriage driver. This presentation differs sharply from the usual presentation of death as a fearsome figure in a hooded robe and scythe, which tends to make death appear vengeful and menacing. Instead, death becomes a gentlemanlike figure, stopping for the speaker and showing her a series of idyllic images representing the different stages of life (childhood, adulthood, and then the grave) before taking her into eternity itself.

The speaker also stresses the inevitability of meeting death. The opening line stresses that death stopped for her even though she could not stop for death. This relates to how death comes for everyone, whether it is expected or not. Usually, the possibility of death coming at any time is frightening, but for the speaker, it is merely a courteous gesture.

This gentle personification reflects the speaker's attitude towards death. Instead of fearing death, the speaker appears to accept it, allowing her to better appreciate the beauty of the scenes passing her by during the carriage ride. She leaves her life calmly and without regrets. She treats death as a friend rather than an entity to be dreaded.