The poem, A Narrow Fellow in the Grass, by Emily Dickinson is a collaboration of fear and intrigue. The poem is presented through a young boy as he makes his way through cool and damp grassland during the afternoon. The issue the young boy must deal with is the unwelcome encounter with a snake. From the first glimpse of the slithering snake the tone of the poem is set: an uneasiness mood followed by persistent fear. The combination of external conflict and dexterous imagery create the atmosphere of this poem.A Narrow Fellow in the GrassOccasionally rides You may have met Him did you notHis notice sudden isThe Grass divides as with a CombA spotted shaft is seen And then it closes at your feetAnd opens further on He likes a Boggy AcreA Floor too cool for corn Yet when a Boy, and Barefoot I more than once at NoonHave passed, I thought, a Whip lashUnbraiding in the SunWhen stooping to secure itIt wrinkled, and was gone Several of Natures PeopleI know, and they know me I feel for them a transportOf cordiality But never met this FellowAttended, or aloneWithout tighter breathingAnd Zero at the Bone The young boy in the poem is faced with the external conflict of his fear of snakes. This conflict never seems to be resolved by the end of the poem, and it is highly unlikely that it will ever be resolved in the future. As it is presented in the last two stanzas that the boy is never comfortable with snakes no matter whom he may be with, protection or not. He will continue to be fear stricken when faced with snakes under any circumstance. Although this is not an implausible problem the young boy faces, many people share this same dilemma. Dickinson created a poem in which many people could relate to by putting her thoughts and emotions down on paper. In reading this poem one cannot help but absorb the imagery portrayed by the use of descriptive language. Dickinson does an amazing job of using the senses to feel the sensation as if yo...
