“I dwell in possibility” automatically reminded me of the excerpt from Jane Eyre we went over in class. At first glance when reading this poem i had a completely different interpretation of it from what i gathered after reading it over a few times. In my opinion from the way i see this poem i have interpreted that Dickinson is discussing her feelings of being locked or feeling like a bird in a cage, or in this case, in a house. She speaks of her experiences of feeling trapped inside the closed doors and windows of this “house”. As the poem comes to an end she describes herself spreading her hands to gather paradise. What is this paradise? Emily dickinson had her own idea of what her paradise to break through her feelings of being trapped was. I believe that in a way this poem allows you to reach out inside you to find your own paradise or what helps you escape from your cage.

Jane had her own sense of escape as well. Thornfield was her paradise. All her life she was tied down into one place, she didn’t have a sense of belonging. The only places she had resided in were locations where she was sent to, such as Mrs. Reed’s residence after her family died, and then Lowood. For once she was breaking out of her own “cage” and chasing a new experience, the pleasure of finding her own place in the world. When Jane first reaches Thornfield and looks around she immediately realizes that this is the place where she wants to be. When looking at the view she overcame feelings of sublime as she came to realize all the desires and wants that she looked over her whole life. She wanted to chase experiences, power, capability. Thornfield was her way out of being trapped in her own mind for so long, she was finally able to let her desires go free.

-Jyoti Bali