As one of the most remarkable writers of all time, Emily Dickinson accomplished many achievements during times in her hometown, Amherst. Her source "of knowledge of ecstasy and despair that infuses her poetry" (Hertzburg) remains unknown. She experienced love and loss through her life that could have inspired her to fulfill her writing career. Although "she lived in one town, in one house, all her life, little is known about her"(Hertzburg).
Born to Edward and Emily Dickinson on December 10, 1830, Emily had two siblings, a brother named Austin and a sister named Lavinia, and of all three, Edward, her father, favored Emily (Brooks). She started schooling in 1840, and attended Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke Female Seminary where she was loved for her wit and free spirit (Internet). After seven years at the academy, she "retired from the community" (Hertzburg) almost never coming out of her house. Dressing all in white, Emily would speak only to her friends from around corners never revealing her face (Brooks 452-453).
Reverend Charles Wadworth, Samuel Bowles, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson became the three loves of her life. Reverend Charles Wadworth, an older, married man (Hertzburg), met Emily in 1855 then stopped correspondence with her in 1882(Internet). Around 1858, she fell in love with Samuel Bowles who edited the Springfield Daily Republican, and published one of her earliest poems (Hertzburg). In 1878, Samuel Bowles died, and inspires the writing of "Success is counted sweetest" (Internet). Thomas Wentworth Higginson received many of Emily's works and then gave advice, but he was ignored. They shared love in the late 1870's, and his influence shows in her writings (Brooks 455).
Emily, living to be 56 years old, died on May 15, 1886, leaving us with over 1800 poems (Internet). Themes included: death, love denied, and isolation; these themes related to her life making her writing more vivid and realistic.