“Emily always turned to language to soothe or lessen her distress. The letters could have served as a reminder of the pain she had experienced, but survived. Whatever purpose she had in writing remained a secret known only to her. She never shied away from looking anguish in the eye or contemplating its aftermath. To do so was an act of dominion over misery and resistance to inertia.” WritingPainResistanceEmily Dickinson Book:These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson Source: These Fevered Days: Ten Pivotal Moments in the Making of Emily Dickinson