Who is the speaker of the poem "Because I could not stop for Death—"?

"Because I could not stop for Death—" is narrated by a first-person speaker who has died. This speaker describes what death is like.

The speaker is a nineteenth-century woman from middle class circumstances, much like Emily Dickinson. We know it is a woman because she says she is wearing a "Gown" and "Tippet," a long narrow shawl. She displays an ironic personality in the opening stanza, noting that because "she could not stop for Death," he "kindly" stopped for her. This conveys the truth that humans never have time to die and will not, in the normal run of an emotionally healthy life, seek out death. It is also startling, and the opposite of how we usually think, to describe death as "kindly." The speaker ends the stanza by displaying an awareness of the paradox that death is both an ending, a "stop," and the route to immortality of an eternal afterlife.

The speaker grows more serious, however, as death sinks in. She uses imagery to describe the experience: time slows down, passing at "no haste." In fact, it seems to stop: they pass the "Setting Sun," an apt image for death, but then the speaker notes that "rather — He passed Us." The activity of life grows more distant, like a scene being watched. Eventually, the speaker and death come to her new home, a grave.

The speaker shows herself to be an acute observer of death, one who describes it in the context of nineteenth-century small-town life.

Where is the speaker in relation to death in "Because I could not stop for Death"?

The speaker is sitting in a carriage with Death, who is portrayed as a kind and polite ("civil") gentleman. While I, personally, have always pictured the two sitting quietly across from each other inside a carriage that is ambling to a graveyard at a slow pace, it may be that the two are sitting side by side outside the carriage as Death drives it:

We slowly drove — He knew no haste

That line indicates that Death held the reins.

Wherever they are, the two are in close proximity in or on a carriage. The poem conveys that they are alone together, seeing the same sights passing by, joined by the journey. For instance, they view but are detached from

the School, where Children strove

At Recess — in the Ring —

The speaker does not seem at all afraid of Death; she sounds accepting of it and of her fate.

Where is the speaker in relation to death in "Because I could not stop for Death"?

Your original question asked two questions, so I have had to edit it down to one. In this poem it is important to realise that Death is personified as a carriage driver who politely stops to collect the speaker. It is interesting to see how Dickinson uses this metaphor to "tame" or "domesticate" the most awesome and inevitable of human experiences - death. The literal elements of this metaphor are simple: dying is compared to an unexpected ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

Therefore, the speaker spends most of her time sat next to Death in this carriage. Note how the first stanza describes it:

The Carriage held but just Ourselves -

And Immortality.

This is part of the unforgettable nature of this poem - it makes us see death as nothing terrifying, but just a normal carriage ride with a polite gentleman who kindly picks us up at the right time.

Why couldn't the speaker in the poem "Because I could not stop for Death—" stop for Death?

The speaker could not stop for Death because she has been too busy living and experiencing life. She mentions that, when Death "kindly" collects her in his carriage, she opts to put aside her labor and leisure, the two activities which take up most people's lives, in order to show respect and resignation towards Death. Once Death arrives, both work and play are no longer options, and the speaker accepts this fate. Now while in the carriage, accompanied by Immortality, all the speaker can do is appreciate the slow-going scenery before her, representing childhood, adulthood, and death. Slowly heading towards "Eternity," contemplation replaces work and play, a contrast to the fast-paced, active life most people lead.

It must be remembered that this poem is also allegorical, representing the end of life. The speaker's inability to stop for Death is meant to reflect the common attitude towards death in general: most people do not think about their inevitable demise, nor do they want to die. Precious few people would willingly stop for death, but in the end, death stops for everyone, since everyone's time alive is limited. This notion makes Dickinson's personification of Death appear both courteous and ominous.

Why couldn't the speaker in the poem "Because I could not stop for Death—" stop for Death?

The speaker of the poem has no fear of death. That's what she means when she says that she couldn't stop for it. And it's why the figure of Death—personified as the driver of a carriage—has to stop for her. This highlights the fact that it is ultimately Death that chooses when we leave this world behind, not ourselves. On this reading, even someone who takes their own life is fated to do so.

The figure of Death takes the speaker on a smooth and pleasant journey from this world into the next, from the here and now into the realm of the eternal. The longer the poem goes on, the more ethereal the speaker becomes. Slowly but surely, she's turning into a spirit as Death's carriage takes her across the threshold into eternity.

Why couldn't the speaker in the poem "Because I could not stop for Death—" stop for Death?

I think many of us have the same attitude about dying. We know we are going to have to die someday, but right now isn't a good time because we have so many important things to do. Or at least we think they are important. But death comes when it will come whether we are ready for it or not. I think this is what the speaker means when she says she could not stop for Death. But death knew better than she did. He was kind enough to stop for her because he knew she was tired and needed the rest. She found that the things she thought were so important were not really important, and she found that the experience was very pleasant and that she had all the time in the world because she was immortal. The poem sounds as if it had been written by someone who had had a near death experience and as a result had a new perspective on death. People like this poem because it is comforting without being preachy. We don't have to worry about death because Death will take care of us in a kindly manner when the time comes.

Leo Tolstoy's moving novelette The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886) ends on a note very similar to Emily Dickinson's poem. Ivan Ilyich discovers in his last moments that there is nothing to fear of death.

He sought his former accustomed fear of death and did not find it. "Where is it? What death?" There was no fear because there was no death. In place of death there was light. "So that's what it is!" he suddenly exclaimed aloud. "What joy!"

Why isn't the speaker in "Because I could not stop for Death—" afraid of Death?

The poem never explicitly states that the speaker is unafraid of Death. However, her way of speaking shows her lack of fear and her detachment from what is going on.

In the first stanza, the speaker implies her lack of fear in referring to Death, personified as the carriage driver, as "kindly." In the second stanza, she has no concern over his slow progress.

The speaker may no longer fear death because she has already crossed over to the other side. The deal is done, and she accepts it. The tone of the poem reflects that detachment. The speaker is at peace with her place in eternity. It seems not perfect at this point, as she, while dead, is newly so. She is chilly, and her new home is a grave underground, both unpleasant images. She can observe but not participate in the living scenes she passes. At the same time, she is seemingly in the process of accepting that she is entering a new world of immortality.

Dickinson shows a good deal of imagination in trying to envision what the passage from life to death might be like. She describes it as both familiar—a carriage ride, watching children at a schoolhouse during recess—and unfamiliar in its eerie detachment.