The study of geology becomes a central underlying theme in many of her works due to the influence of Hitchcock. Dickinson adopted the view that the study of nature should be an intermingled spiritual as well as naturalist journey, and as a result, places strong emphasis on how to explore spiritual and romantic Truth, through the allegory of nature and geology.

Dickinson's poetic vision was not to advocate the strong use of scientific inquiry in daily life, but rather to perform the opposite function. She attempts to heighten the mysteries of the universe rather than to solve them. Her works attempt to counteract the strong role of scientific inquiry, which attempts to convince us that science can present a complete and undiluted picture of reality as a whole. Dickinson uses science as a vision, complete with technical language and concepts, to amplify rather than detract from the mystery of the...
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