A "setting sun" is a reference to the passing of the day into night (12). The word "passing" is repeated throughout Dickinson's poem. Repetition allows the poet to stress the meaning of the word, which in this case symbolizes the passing of all things in life. Yet Death distinguishes between that which is temporary (the setting sun) and that which is eternal (the sun itself). A new dawn is always promised at the end of the day, just as Death's horses' heads point towards Eternity (24). The narrator also takes note of her gossamer gown, and of a tulle tippet (15; 16). Gossamer and tulle are both sheer fabrics, suggesting her own ephemeral and ghostly nature. They are thin, weak, and will not last long. Life is as delicate as gossamer, transitory but eternal at the same time. Imagery of delicate fabric also illustrates the difference between that which is temporary and that which is truly eternal. Moreover, these sheer fabrics also symbolize...

Dickinson urges a more lighthearted view towards death. Death is not to be feared but to be embraced and appreciated.
Death takes the narrator on a leisurely carriage ride, and he "knew no haste," (5). Unlike the living, Death hurries for no one. Instead, the narrator views the world as if with fresh eyes. Even though the narrator is herself no longer a part of the world of the living, she seems to appreciate the timelessness of Eternity. Death shows the narrator how delicate the fabric of life can be, and how even young school children will eventually die. Usually treated as an unpleasant subject, Death for Dickinson is natural. Death takes the narrator past a grave, which is described as a home in the fifth stanza: the "House that seemed / a Swelling in the Ground" with "scarcely visible" roof (17-19). Emily Dickinson's poem treats Death as a kind companion. Death teaches the difference between what is true and…