Much Madness is divinest Sense—

“Much Madness is divinest Sense” qualifies as a lyric, as lyrics are short poems that express personal feelings. In Emily Dickinson’s poem, her speaker expresses their feelings on “Madness” Versus Sense, Conformity Versus Singularity, and The Right to Punish—all of which are key themes. The poem also has the qualities of a riddle-like paradox, as the tricky diction (word use) appears to contradict itself and suggests that what is “mad” is sensible and what is sensible is “mad.” As the poem instructs the reader about “madness” and sense and intends to impart a lesson, it’s a didactic poem as well. The speaker dictates their beliefs about how people gauge rational and seemingly irrational behavior: Communities create definitions for the words “mad” and “sane” not by any objective measure but by majority rule, which, according to the speaker, is liable to creating a culture where those outside of majority opinion are demonized and punished.

Though people commonly refer to Dickinson as the speaker of her poems, it’s not necessary to call Dickinson the speaker to understand the poem. The reader doesn’t have to know a great deal about Dickinson’s background or bond Dickinson to the poem to assess its meaning. In this case, the speaker is like an unnamed lecturer or professor, and the reader turns into a student taking a class on how the majority determines proper conduct. Though the speaker’s tone is declarative and blunt, they’re also elusive—what they say can have multiple meanings.

The speaker announces, “Much Madness is divinest Sense —” (Line 1), and demonstrates some nuance with the statement. They don’t say “madness” is always sensible—instead, they qualify it with a determiner, “much,” and an adjective, “divinest.” The speaker isn’t hyperbolic or overdramatic: They’re mostly subtle in their assertion that what is said to be “mad” may actually be sensible.

The adjective “divinest” alludes to religion, as “divine” suggests a god or something godly. As Dickinson was skeptical and had a tenuous relationship with Christianity, the allusion is ironic (unexpected) or subversive. Since the majority of Dickinson’s community were Christians, it’s as if Dickinson is turning the majority’s religion against them. The Bible features many examples of behavior that defy standard definitions of logic. In the Book of Job, the eponymous man endures God’s harsh punishments, though he’s not sure why God is causing him to suffer. In the New Testament, Jesus’s behavior regularly confounds and angers the majority, leading to his crucifixion. Through the polarizing motif of religion, Dickinson demonstrates the fluidity of senselessness and sensibleness. A person can read the Bible and discover that the opinions of the majority or the powerful may not always be logical or accurate.

To separate the preposterous from the logical, a person requires a “discerning Eye” (Line 2). The “eye” is an example of figurative language. The speaker doesn’t mean an actual eye: The eye represents perception. To identify the sense in the supposed “madness,” a person has to refine their mind and pick up on things that other people can’t. Additionally, the eye may also symbolize the elusiveness of keen judgment. An eye might not be something a person can acquire or cultivate—it’s something they’re born with. Thus, discerning the rational from the irrational isn’t something a person can learn—it’s an innate ability they either have or lack.

The speaker returns to the main juxtaposition of the poem when they state, “Much Sense — the starkest Madness —” (Line 3). Once again, they put “Madness” and “Sense” side by side, but this time, the sensible behavior becomes the perplexing behavior. The two nouns are fluid. What seems foolish can be judicious, and what appears sober can actually be silly. The final say belongs to “the Majority” (Line 4), with the speaker claiming, “In this, as all, prevail” (Line 5). What the largest number of people say is “Madness” or “Sense” determines the meaning. The speaker is somewhat flippant about the “Majority” and their power. The “as all” is sweeping and indicates that the “Majority” decides everything else. The speaker doesn’t specify, so the “as all” gives the poem a bold, impudent tone. It’s as if the speaker were saying, “Obviously, as usual, the Majority controls everything.”

The speaker gets personal and addresses the reader directly when they announce, “Assent — and you are sane —” (Line 6). If the reader conforms to the popular sentiment, the majority of people will think they’re a practical person. However, “Demur — you’re straightway dangerous” (Line 7). If the reader deviates from the majority, they turn into a threat. With juxtaposition and a blunt tone, the speaker bolsters their argument. They juxtapose conformity with so-called “sanity,” and then they juxtapose reluctance—“demur” being an especially soft word—with danger.

Through the juxtaposition, the reader can see the dubiousness of the formula and question its legitimacy. The juxtapositions create puzzling pairs. If the person conforms, then they have a sound mind. Yet conforming doesn’t require much thought—all a person has to do is follow what everyone else does. If a person doesn’t move with the multitude, they presumably use their mind and have separate ideas about sensible behavior. In this paradigm, thinking differently—or thinking at all—isn’t rational but harmful, and the danger isn’t abstract: It’s direct or “straightway” (Line 7).

To deal with people who “demur” (Line 7), the Majority “handle[s] [them] with a Chain” (Line 8). The speaker uses the literary device of imagery to create a picture of a nonconformist in chains. The picture helps the reader visualize how society can punish people who don’t “assent” (Line 6) and adjust to the multitudes. In chains, the person isn’t free, so they can’t deviate from the status quo—they’re stuck.

The chain image is ironic, and the twist is that the supposedly sensible majority can be quite cruel. If someone disagrees with them or doesn’t act like they do, they put the person in chains. The speaker’s subtlety prevails. They don’t explicitly state that the masses tend to be callous and harsh—instead, they show it with the image of the chain.