Climb the corporate ladder, reach for the brass ring, push the envelope… and see where it gets you. You see, ambition can lead to success, but that's not necessarily a good thing. According to the speaker of "Success is counted sweetest," the one thing successful ambition won't get you is enlightenment. Sorry, but full appreciation and understanding is only reserved for the losers of the world. You may not want to admit it, but as soon as you have something, your appreciation of it is going to wane faster than a spray tan in a hurricane. Just as it lends the pain of dissatisfaction a silver lining, this poem also puts a dark cloud over the head of ambition.
Questions About Ambition
- If the victorious army suffers ignorance for their ambition, why are they characterized as having a royal "purple" color? How might the speaker answer that question?
- Do you think Dickinson's lack of publishing in her lifetime influenced the way she represents ambition and success in this poem? Why or why not?
- In what ways might this poem's inconsistencies of form represent the notion of ambition?
Chew on This
Ambition does not guarantee success. This poem provides a warning for the ambitious, though, about the lack of appreciation that invariably accompanies success.
Dickinson's own personal lack of ambition explains why she hates on it in this poem.