In Emily Dickinson’s poem, ” I Dwell in Possibility”, the concepts of hope and optimism are prevalent. Being able to think of the “Chambers as the cedars” or the “everlasting roof” as the “Gambrels of the sky” is not an easy task to do. Such mundane things do not turn into fantasies without our being able to actively think of them as much more than what meets the eye. Rather, we must be able to set aside the adversities in this life, so that we may embrace our ability to look at the brighter side of things even in times of distress, and develop an imagination that can sometimes be the only factor keeping us afloat.

In a scene from Jane Eyre, when Jane finally reaches the Thornfield mansion and is taking in the scenery from the balcony, she describes what she sees in a rather unexpected way. Based on her long term experience with emotional, and sometimes physical, abuse as she was growing up, it would make sense for anyone to assume that Jane would be bitter about things in her life, and to look at things in a negative way, as would most people in her shoes. However, when Jane describes looking out from the balcony over the gates, one would not be able to deduce her unfortunate upbringing. It is in this way that I see the connection between Jane and Dickinson. Both take situations in which most people would not see a beauty in, simply because the way they think about ordinary things is not always in the best of manners, and are able to shift the perception of these situations to reflect and build upon the feelings of hope and optimism that linger within their hearts.