Eden is that old-fashioned House by: Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson’s poem "Eden is that old-fashioned House" presents a message similar to that of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Emily Dickinson rarely left her home which says a lot about how much it meant to her. One could argue that it was her own utopia or “Garden of Eden.” After all, your home does contain all your personal belongings, not to mention your loved ones. A home also provides a sense of comfort and safety far superior to any other place. You are so comfortable in your home that you are rarely conscious of the impact it has on you. In other words, it feels so natural to be at home that you aren’t even aware of how you feel or act when you are there. In the first stanza of the poem, Dickinson says “Eden is that old-fashioned House”. In saying this I believe Dickinson to be proclaiming her “old-fashioned” House to be her own Garden of Eden. You could also think of the Garden of Eden as the first “House” of mankind. In the line, “Without suspecting our abode until we drive away” I believe Dickinson is trying to convey the message that we are not grateful of the true beauty of our home until we drive away from it or become lacking of one. This idea is also conveyed through Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve did not respect the rules of the garden or appreciate what was being provided for them. It was only after they were expelled from the garden did they truly understand what they were once blessed with. In the second stanza, Dickinson’s use of the word sauntered is particularly interesting. I think this word represents the attitude of most human beings. Most humans are able to walk away from their homes with a sense of ease and effortlessness. They assume that when they return to their homes everything will be just as they left it—which is certainly not always the case.  Many things can change about your home while you are away. This I have learned from personal experience. For example, when I return to my hometown where I grew up, I no longer feel that it is my home. Sure I still have childhood memories and emotional attachments to the people and places there; however I have lost the feeling that it is my home. Before moving I thought that that house in particular would always be where I consider home. However since moving I have learned that a home is not a fixed location.  Instead home is ever moving. I now have a new home in a new place and later in life I will find myself in many other places.  The location does not make it a home but rather the people around you.  As I prepare myself for going away to college, I continuously remind myself of this. Being away from a place as familiar and comfortable as home will be difficult however I know that I will make myself a new home-away-from-home at college, because that is what we do has human beings. We naturally adapt to our surroundings and find new places to call our home. Like Adam and Eve, I feel like I won’t fully appreciate the warmth and reassurance a home provides until I am removed from mine. I am most worried that when I do return to my home, it will not feel like home. My older sister once told me she found it unusual that when talking about going back to college she catches herself saying, “I’m going back home.” It makes me wonder, “Is college really her new home?”  In a way perhaps it is. However, I believe a home is forever changing. With new experiences and new people also come new homes, and we begin to forget about our previous ones. We “saunter” away from them, unaware of when we will return or how they will appear if we do.