Emily Dickinson's "Experiment to Me," 1865

VA- Liceo scientifico D.Alighieri

Roberto Maria Sacco 

Emily Dickinson’s “Experiment to Me,” No. 1073 

1 Experiment to Me

2 Is every One I meet

3 If It contain a Kernel -­

4 The figure of a Nut

5 Presents upon a Tree Equally plausibly -  
6 But Meat within is requisite

7 To Squirrels, and to Me –

c. 1865 

 It' s always an intriguing experience meeting somebody new. It is “an experiment”(1) as Emily Dickinson says. This word, “experiment”, reveals Dickinson’s approach to reality: she's not a superficial observer. She examines everybody and everything in depth.   

The author employs, as usual, a metaphor concerning nature. She uses the image of the “Nut” (4) alluding to the common man, closed in himself, protected by his impenetrable shell, and  nevertheless willing to overcome his defences and to lay them bare. Emily Dickinson wants to reach the “Meat” inside the shell, and she does not mind the difficulty of doing it (6). She makes use of the word “Kernel”(3), which indicates the edible part of the nut. But what does the poet want to tell us? Does the kernel  represent the good side that everyone has? The preposition “If”seems to narrow the possibilities and  makes us understand that only one who has something to share with others can be considered as an object of interest, although he conceals his effective essence (3).  

Getting to know someone new is the biggest challenge of Dickinson's life, the most arduous experiment. The keyword of the poem, “experiment”, describes, in the scientific field, the preliminary and necessary step to accomplish research. In the same way, when applied to relationships, the experiment could be the reason of their enhancement and development.  

The most interesting thing is that  a person  like Emily Dickinson has been able to pass to us such an insight. She lived on the fringes of the world, withdrawn from everybody and everything. Perhaps her relationships with others was limited to mere observation. It would be as if she looked at everything standing aloof. The image of the tree in the poem  gives the idea of detachment: as the nuts hang from the branches of the trees, the others, potentially reachable, are bound to the roots of a far and intangible world. 

On the other hand, she could have not been as shy as she appears. What if she really cared about relationships? What forbids us to believe that she would daze to achieve her experiment? After all the comparison between her and the “Squirrels” let us think that there's  in her a tendency to discover. 

The poem could also have yet another meaning? What if “One” is not referred to a person, but to a general element of nature (2)? It's possible that Emily Dickinson wishes to discover the natural world in depth , not limiting herself to a superficial perception, but going up to the mysterious essence of everything. Spirituality is always present in her poems, though she seldom refers expressly to God or any of His manifestations. Thus, it's plausible also another hypothesis:  the pronoun “It” makes reference to a thing, not to a person (3). “Kernel”, with the capital letter, could represent the divine presence which hides itself in the reality. The aim of the poet, at this point, results blanketing nature in a holy atmosphere. The comparison with the squirrels, besides confirming the concept, lets the woman find herself  in Nature and identify with it. 

While the man-nut metaphor remains the most immediate interpretation, only one certainty stands: there's not a single way of reading and interpreting this poem. Dickinson knows how to dilate the meaning of the words and make a plethora of ideas arise from few verses. The goal is reached thanks to a simple language , a lapidary style and a very slow rhythm, produced by the two dashes of lines 3 and 5. In this short poem Emily Dickinson perfectly succeeds in not being trivial.She elaborates simple concepts by adopting only essential words and allows the reader to interpret  them as he feels.