A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
In the short story, "A Rose for Miss Emily", the main character, Emily, is shown as a wealthy socialite's daughter, southern belle, and easily sympathized by most readers. The townspeople view her as a strange, lonesome individual; however, there is more to Miss Emily that meets the eye. Miss Grierson is a victim of circumstance. She was clearly depressed and had definitely had a case of separation anxiety, along with many other psychological demons. Miss Grierson is not a cold–hearted villain, but a sad, and misunderstood heroine who just longed to be loved.
During the time period of Faulkner's tale, women were not seen as people. They had no right to vote, could not own property, or even choose whom they could marry. Women of this time were basically objects. They had to get married and have children. Emily's father, Mr. Grierson was a wealthy man from the South. Many suitors were presented Emily for her hand in marriage but her father always refused. It seems, Mr. Grierson may have denied Emily a marriage with these suitors as a way to control her. All women got married during this time period, the fact that Emily's father did not give away her hand essentially meant she would always be single. The man was the patriarch of the family, therefore, Emily could not marry unless she had her father's blessing. By the time Emily's father passed away she was not only single, but now fatherless. After his passing, Emily refused to give up her father's body, claiming he was not
A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
"A Rose for Emily" The setting is usually represented by the simplicity of a place and time. In "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner expands setting into something much more. The setting goes far beyond just the time and place, it involves the people and objects that surround Emily throughout the story. Faulkner uses those objects and people to show how Emily struggles with accepting the present and leaving the past behind. In the second paragraph, Faulkner refers to Emily's house and what it had once looked like. "A big, square frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been the our most select street," describes Faulkner (82). This shows how at one point in time, the house was beautiful and eclectic. He then goes on to describe it in it's present day condition, "an eyesore among eyesores" (82). Over time, while the world around the house was changing, the house itself had not. The house is a major representation of time and decay. It symbolizes Emily and how, even though the town of Jefferson is evolving, she is not. She is slowly decaying with the house and becoming less coherent with the present world around her. Emily is referred to as a fallen monument more then once during the story. Faulkner does this to show how Emily is a representation of the old south. Even though times have changed, people in the town still hold Emily to a high standard and respect
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay
A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a unique piece of literature. It has a plot which seems somewhat bland, and it is not particularly exciting. However, the ending is quite suprising, and for me it made the story worth reading. I think there are some interesting aspects of this story if you look at it from a feminist point of view. The feminist movement has attempted to elevate the status of the woman to a level equal with men. Feminists have fought for the right of women to be free from the old social restraints which have been in place for so long. A feminist believes a woman should be strong and independent. In some ways the main character, Emily, is this kind of woman, but for the most part she is...show more content...
When her father died and she had no man to care for her, the town absolved her tax duties. The people of the town attempted to accomodate her needs by offering their help and sympathy. The townspeople also tried to be considerate of her eccentricities. They extended her courtesies because she was a lady with no one save her servant. This caretaking of Emily by the town shows the opinion of women during that time period. Without a man, Emily was considered somewhat helpless.
Everyone felt as if they needed to help her.
Another way that Emily represents females as dependent and childlike is her reluctance to admit her father's death. When he dies, she refuses to let anyone remove his body from their house. It's as if she feels she needs his comforting and protection.
Without a man, she is lost. In the end of the story this situation comes up again. The man who Emily had a relationship with is found dead and decayed in an upstairs bedroom after her death. There is evidence that she would lay in the bed with the men after his death. This is another way that Emily is portrayed as needy and weak. She feels she needs a man so badly that she must keep her lover even after his death. I think most feminists would read this theme into A Rose for Emily.
Perhaps the only way Emily was portrayed as strong or independent is in her lifestyle. She lives alone with only a servant to give her any service. She does what she wants without regard to the concerns of
William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily Essay
Rather than stating the true meaning of his works, William Faulkner generally uses symbolism to portray the depth of his tales. Throughout the story "A Rose For Emily," time is a continuous theme that is portrayed through symbols. The past, present, and future are represented by different people, places, and things. One of which such symbols, the main character herself, represents the essence of the past through her father, her house, and her lover.
Historically, the Grierson name was one of the most respected names in Jefferson. Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Grierson played various roles in the community to further the reputation of his name and to earn his family a great deal of...show more content...
Although the law intervened and buried her father, the "crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father" further emphasized the great effect he had on her lifestyle and mindset.
Miss Emily was rarely seen by the public after the death of her father. She confined herself to her house to bask in the sentimental memories of her father. Mr. Grierson had bought his family a house that was located in what, at that time, was one of the most prestigious neighborhoods of Jefferson. The street they lived was recognized by the community as prominent and seemingly royal and the houses were grand and picturesque. The "big, squarish frame...had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies." However, even the "stubborn" Grierson house had been weathered and worn by the lapse of time.
Even the interior of the house was evidence of the lack of progression. "It smelled of dust and disuse." The leather of the furniture was cracked, and when the chairs were sat upon, "a faint dust rose about [the] thighs." The house seemed to be submerged in shadows, refusing to admit the light of the future.
However, the times began to change and the town moved on toward the future. The houses were replaced
Essay about A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner
In the story " A Rose for Emily", by William Faulkner the narrator introduces the reader to Emily Grierson, a sheltered southern woman who while alive struggled immensely with her sanity and the evolving world around her. Emily's father, a very prestigious man is the cause of Emily's senseless behavior. He kept her secluded from the rest of the town "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away..." (Page 3.) If Emily had been allowed to date and socialize with people her own age would she had turned out differently.
Emily Grierson, the only remaining member of the upper class Grierson family refuses to leave the past behind her even as the next generation begins to take over. Miss Emily becomes so caught up in the way...show more content...
Or were the Grierson's so powerful that they convinced the Colonel to leave Emily be?
The only relationships Emily ever had during her sheltered life were with men, which is quite ironic considering the fact that her father forbid males from having any contact with his precious daughter. There was Tobe her Negro servant, Homer the man she was to marry, and of course her father. Miss Emily and Tobe seemed to have a personal relationship it was deeper than him just being her servant. Every one else referred to him as " That Nigger" and the narrator of the story simply called him " The Negro". When Miss Emily calls Tobe by his first name it proves that she has a sense of respect for him, he is also the only person(other than Homer) allowed in and out of her home after her father's death. Tobe proved his loyalty by keeping her darkest secrets ( The murder of Homer. It was obvious that he knew Homer was locked away in the upper half of the house because the day of the funeral he exited out the back door and was never seen again. Tobe knew what they were going to find when the people of Jefferson entered the bedroom) and remaining by Miss Emily's side until the very end. Miss Emily's father was the main reason behind her being secluded from the rest of the town. He felt as if no man would ever be good enough for
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
William Faulkner's first published story was "A Rose for Emily. He wrote many stories after this but one particular that can be compared to this story is a Light in August. Throughout both of these works Faulkner uses his own events from his home in Mississippi and focuses on the themes relating to the ruins of the Deep South in the post– Civil War era. Also in both of these stories he shows how cruel and hard society can be towards individuals and towards certain races, especially those in love. Most importantly when reading these stories Faulkner focuses on the gulf between appearance and actuality, and the contrast between public and private and the private self. The story, light in August,...show more content...
Diminutive Byron Bunch is, like Lena, morally isolated, though by his own choice; he makes no friends except Hightower, and works almost all the time because he is so afraid of falling into mischief otherwise. Hightower himself is isolated as an outcast, someone rejected by society––in his case because he failed in his appointed task as guardian of public standards, by delivering incoherent sermons while his wife carried on obvious sexual affairs.
In comparison A Rose for Emily, the main character Emily shares similar references towards Lena. Like Lena she is also morally isolated from her town by choice. She chooses her way life because she dislikes it so much. Her story is simply a story about a woman who fell in love with someone of a different background, someone she was not "supposed" to love. All her life all she wanted to do was to love someone and start a family. This story is also told in flashback and we go through Emily's life staring with her funeral then telling us about her life. She was troubled with how her father never gave her freedom and also the love she had for Homer brown, but never got to have. Possibly this was because of their difference in color, and how in that time the North and the South were two complete opposites and people did not mix. We find out that because of these differences and pressure on society's ways Emily killed Homer, in order for her to keep him close
A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" thoroughly examines the life of a strange woman name Emily Grierson who lives in the town of Jefferson. If we examine "A Rose for Emily" in terms of formalist criticism, we see that the story dramatizes through setting, plot, characterization, and symbolism on how Miss Emily's life is controlled by a possessive love she had for her father and lover. William Faulkner uses Emily's life as the protagonist to examine from a formalist aspect. In order to analyze Faulkner's story from a formalist perspective, an explanation of formalist criticism should prove useful in clarifying this criticism as a method of examination. Rather than relying heavily on facts about the author's life, the historical context surrounding him, or other external factors, formalist criticism draws its conclusions mainly from a focus on the work itself. The formalist critic recognizes the key features of the work–style, structure, imagery, tone, genre, and so on–and how they work together to have a total effect on the reader (2169). Using a formalist approach to critiquing this story gave me a different way of reading "A Rose for Emily." I went into reading this piece with the decision already made that I would use a formalist approach. First I analyzed the imagery Faulkner presented in the story which gives off a setting in the old south. Words such as "tradition," (1) "duty" (1), "sort of hereditary obligation" (1), "generation," (1) contribute to
Essay on William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"
As any reader can see, " A Rose for Emily" is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner's work is idealistic to all readers.
The works of William Faulkner have had positive effects on readers throughout his career. Local legends and gossip trigger the main focus of his stories. Considering that Faulkner grew up in Mississippi, he was very familiar with the ways of the South. This award winning author has been praised by many critics for his ability and unique style of writing. One of Faulkner's most popular works, which also was his first short story nationally published in...show more content...
Another prime example of Faulkner's effective writing is his use of narration. Of course, in most stories the narrator is a key asset. In :A Rose for Emily" Faulkner uses the narrator not only as a story teller, but as an observer from the crowd as well. The narrator's point of view, which is third person, had a positive effect on the way a reader views the story. "Through out the story the narrator uses "we" instead of I revealing to us the way the townspeople judge Emily" (Madden 1988). The narrator thinks back in time throughout the story remembering particular events that occurred in the past. This is important to the reader in that it helps aid the understanding of how the townspeople viewed Emily. The narrator as one of the townspeople viewed Miss Emily as impervious, tranquil, and perverse. If the story had been narrated by anyone else, it may not have been as easy for the reader to completely understand. "With this spectator as the narrator, describing the events of the story through his eyes, one can detect a general impression of Emily" (Madden 1987). The view of the narrator is beneficial in understanding the things that Emily goes through. Also toward the end of the story the narrator gives the reader a feeling if sorrow and pity for Emily. It is apparent Faulkner's use of narration is critical to the enhancement and clarification of the "A Rose for Emily." After analyzing the
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay
In Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily", Emily lives in a world of her own making. This is because townspeople in Jefferson holds Miss Emily in such high regards. To them, she symbolizes the customs of the old south, or what the town Jefferson once was. For Emily and also for the townspeople time is relative, the past is an ever–present realm in Jefferson. For this reason people wish to respect Emily and preserve her customs; even if it means intruding into her personal life, or turning the cheek towards her suspicious actions. In the story Falkner introduces the importance of preserving the traditions of an old Southern town. This is done through his choice in literary elements: such as setting, motif, point of view, symbolism, and metaphor....show more content...
All of which were brought upon her because of her father's high standings in the town. Emily's father was an authoritative man, who was proud of his southern heritage and of his family's status in the town. As a result, the residents of Jefferson held her to her father's heritage. When Emily first began her affair with Homer the people of Jefferson were baffled, "how could she– a well–bred Southern lady– abide an intimate relationship with a day laborer," (Scherting 401). The women of Jefferson, stuck in their old ways of thinking, believed that Emily was setting a bad example for the children and that she was disgracing the town with her untasteful relationship. In order to preserve tradition the women of Jefferson did what they could to end this debauchery.
In addition, Faulkner's choice of first person point of view helps bring to light the theme of preserving tradition. Therefore, giving the reader the opportunity of experiencing the town's position. For example, the narrator presents to the reader that Emily bought arsenic, but when asked for what reason she needed it she remains mute. Soon after Emily buys the arsenic and Homer's disappearance, the narrator explains that there was a strong stench coming from Emily's house. That night, four men visited Emily's house and began spreading lime in order to terminate the smell. Although, the narrator does not state for certain. The men's actions depicted that they
A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
In 1930, William Faulkner wrote a five–part story entitled "A Rose for Emily" that follows the life of a young woman named Miss Emily Grierson. Faulkner sets his story in the Old South, soon after the ending of America's Civil War, and represents the decaying values of the Confederacy (Kirszner & Mandell, 2013a, p. 244). One of these values which the text portrays quite often in "A Rose for Emily", is the patriarchal custom of society viewing men as having more importance than their female counterparts. Through a very shallow reading of Faulkner's text, a reader might observe the seeming independence of Miss Grierson; however, to delve deeper into the text itself reveals that nearly every aspect of Emily's life, and the description...show more content...
Sequentially, the succeeding occurrence of foreshadowing appears in section three, when Miss Grierson seeks out "the best kind [of poison]" that the druggist sells, and shortly after the narrator reveals that Homer "was not a marrying man" (Falkner, 2013, 248). The last incidence, that to some readers may have been the confirming revelation to their hypothesis, is the disappearance of Homer Barron entirely–last spotted by a neighbor entering the Grierson front door (Faulkner, 2013, p.249). At the conclusion of the story, all of these cases of foreshadowing amount to the revelation that Barron was entombed within Emily's house after he decided not to marry her, and was poisoned with Arsenic by Miss Emily herself (Faulkner, 2013, pp. 248–250). However, the plot twist that was not foreshadowed, was the eerie detail that she had been sleeping with his corpse all these years (Faulkner, 2013, p. 250).
A surface–level reader might conclude that because Miss Grierson has lived most of her life as a single woman, preceded in death by her father, she is a strong and independent female–free from the patriarchy that afflicted post–Civil War America. However, to take a feminist perspective upon the text "A Rose for Emily" reveals a much different conclusion.
To begin our feminist criticism of "A Rose for Emily", it is imperative to note that a male by the name of William Faulkner authored the text. Faulkner himself lived during the Civil War period in the
Sometimes you have to accept the fact that certain things will never go back to how they used to be. Life goes on. A Rose for Emily is a short, gothic story written by William Faulkner and published in April of 1930. Through researching and/or reading, the readers will learn that gothic fiction remains to be a genre of literature that associates fiction and horror, death, and in some cases romance. Faulkner brilliantly demonstrates several themes throughout his short story. With that being said, we discover themes of tradition, change, loneliness, and acceptance. For instance, the readers can notice symbolism a lot through Emily's father, the town, and the title alone in William Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily. Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. The story opens with, the protagonist, Miss Emily Grierson's funeral and all the townspeople attending her service. Faulkner's short story is told...show more content...
The town plays a big part in Faulkner's use of symbolism throughout his short story A Rose
What Is The Change In A Rose For Emily
In the short story, "A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, the reader recognizes the harsh reality of a woman's inability to open up to a new and ever changing world. Emily Grierson is a lonely, mysterious woman, who lives with her father in a large, post civil war era home. Emily's father was a controlling man and sent away each man that tried to court Emily. All Emily inherited after her father's death was the house. However the town thought she had the right to "cling to that which had robbed her."(Faulkner 311) Things started to look better for Emily when she met a handsome northerner. Homer Barron was the head of a work crew from the North. The crew was hired to pave the sidewalks in Jefferson. Homer and Emily begin to see each...show more content...
The town quickly intervened and removed the body. However reclusive Miss. Emily seemed, not realizing the full reality of death presented greater problems with her instability, especially since it ran in her family.
. Miss. Emily has a history of instability in her family "old lady Wyatt, her great–aunt, had gone completely crazy at last, believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were."(Faulkner 311) A delegation is sent to Miss. Emily's house to tell her that she has to pay taxes now, regardless of what Colonel Sartoris said. Emily simply tells them, "See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson."(Faulkner 309) Miss. Emily, unfortunately, begins to exhibit signs of crazy. She does not seem to comprehend death or the past because later we find that, ""See Colonel Sartoris." (Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost ten years)."(Faulkner 310) Colonel Sartoris is no longer alive. Miss. Emily does not know this information. The reader may perceive Miss. Emily to not know about the death of Colonel Sartoris as a result of her reclusive behavior and lack of communication with the town and people. However, when the reader continues the story, he or she finds that Emily has been keeping her dead
Essay On A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
William Faulkner, an American writer, was most famous for his stories which were set in the American south. One of which, he wrote about a woman's life named Emily Grierson. She was isolated in her early years which made her somewhat of a mystery to the town. This short story tells many dark and contradictory situations throughout her life, making it one of the best pieces of southern gothic literature in America. Southern gothic literature, as defined by Oxford, "is a genre of southern writing, they often focus on grotesque themes, and damaged, even delusional characters" (Bjerre). In the short story, "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner uses the characteristics of a southern setting, decay, and outsiders to create a piece of southern gothic...show more content...
Homer Barron, Emily's unsaid boyfriend, is a Northerner. Homer came to the south leading a group of men in the construction of sidewalks. An outside source writes, "many southern whites hated these men from the North. They had a special name for them: carpetbaggers" (Jarmul). The name of carpetbaggers is basically people from the North that took advantage of the South's unsettled conditions for their own gain right after the Civil War. Soon after Homer came to town, he started being seen around with Miss Emily Grierson and the townspeople found it quite odd given her alienation from society in the past. The town views Emily's and the northerner's outings as scandalous because she is from the old south and Homer is a Yankee. Emily, being a part of the old south, follows the old south rules, except for when it comes to her relationship. Homer didn't traditionally court her, it was never even revealed in the story that their relationship was more than a friendship, it was only implied. This did arouse suspicion with the townspeople. because apparently Homer was known, around the town, to hang with younger men at a local bar. Faulkner writes, "he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk's Club– and that he was not a marrying man" (454). Homer was never much seen after that, he was only seen going in Miss Emily's home and never seen leaving
A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
Whitney Allen
English 102
31799
June 24, 2015
"A Rose for Emily"
In every neighborhood there is always that one house that is a mystery to everyone. A house that everyone wants to know about, but nobody can seem to be able to dig up any answers. It's the type of place that you would take any opportunity or excuse to get to explore. The littler that is known, the more the curiosity increases about this mysterious place or person. In the short story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, this mysterious person is Emily Grierson, and the curiosity of her house is a common interest among the whole town. Set aside from the mystery of Emily Grierson and her home, this short story holds a few mysteries within itself. Who exactly is telling this story, how in the world are they so knowledgeable about Miss Emily, and how does the "rose" in the title of this story actually relate and tie in?
"A Rose for Emily" is a short story that is written about Emily Grierson that is written in 5 parts. In the first part of the story it explains that Emily had passed away and that the people of the town were gathered at her house for the first time in nearly ten years to grieve her loss. In the second part of the story, they talk about Emily's father who some people think is this reason why Emily could never get a boyfriend. In this section they also talk about the passing of her father and how it really affected her. In the third section the narrator continues to discuss the feeling and heart
Critique Of A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
Critique of "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
When thinking about American writers from the South, what is one of the first names that come to mind? Of course, that name would be William Faulkner. "William Faulkner, a major American twentieth–century author, wrote historical novels portraying the decline and decay of the upper crust of Southern society (William Faulkner Biography)". He was born on September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. His lineage was that of wealth and stature; however, the demise of his families' wealth came to an end during the Civil War. In spite of his love of reading, and poetry, he never graduated from high school. After he left the Canadian Air Force, he spent a portion of his young adulthood traveling abroad. He began publishing his work in late 1920s and in 1931 he had successfully published his first notable work. During that time, he married Estelle Oldham and they settled in Oxford. He wrote novels, poems, and short stories. In 1930, he wrote one of his most well–known short stories "A Rose for Emily". On July 6, 1962, he died in Oxford with his wife by his side. In critiquing his short story "A Rose for Emily", the setting, main characters, plot, symbolism, irony, and historical context will be examined. "A Rose for Emily" is a grotesque story set in the Deep South in a place called Jefferson, located in the county of Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi. This setting is very similar to where Faulkner grew up. Much of the story centers
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
William Faulkner at one point stated that if he were offered a chance to choose between grief and nothing, he would have chosen grief (Volpe 187). He additional clarifies why he would do this through the story "A Rose for Emily". However, the story is not about Faulkner but a lonely, selfish and poor woman, Emily Greirson. Emily is incapable of coming to terms with the notion of death and as a consequence suffers an immense deal of denunciation (Anderson 89). While the town folk anticipated that she would grieve upon her father's demise, she is not. However, she goes on to claim that her father is okay and alive. Faulkner's notion of anguish is lucid in this story as he shows the readers that it is worth acknowledging death than disregarding it through Emily's life (Claridge 59). Faulkner's story is set in the South, during the racial discrimination and key political shift epoch. Through "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner was trying to convey a hidden message on the themes of change and death. Death looms throughout the narrative as the narrator narrates the start of Emily's funeral. Emily disregards death when her exceeding authoritative father passes on. "Emily met up with them at the entrance, clothed` characteristically and with no hint of sorrow on her face. She told them that her father had not passed away" (Faulkner 2). This depicts Emily's attempt to flout death by clinging to her father's cadaver and caring for it as if he was still alive and how she was
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
In the short story "A Rose for Emily", William Faulkner escorts the reader through the peculiar life of the main character Miss Emily Grierson. The gloomy tone of the story is set by the author beginning his tale with the funeral of Miss Emily. During course of the story, we are taken through different times in Miss Emily's life and how she was lost in time, with the town around her moving forward. Through the use of southern gothic writing style, narrator point of view, and foreshadowing, Faulkner aids the reader in creating a visualization of Miss Emily and the town in which she lives while also giving an insight into her sanity. Faulkner's use of southern gothic writing style helps the reader build a mental depiction of Miss Emily. When the town sent their ambassadors to discuss the taxes that were owed, Faulkner described Miss Emily as "bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water" (2182). This description gives the reader the sense that the character is not well. Faulkner's description that Miss Emily looked bloated achieves the desired effect on the reader to show how hideous she appears. This graphic description, combined with the author's depressing description of the parlor (2182), makes the reader think of death. The reader gets the sense of being in a funeral parlor which helps to strengthen Faulkner's narrative.
Faulkner continues his southern gothic writing style when the story goes back to an earlier time in Miss Emily's life. Faulkner
A Rose for Emily– Rhetorical Analysis
William Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. He wrote short stories, plays, essays, and screenplays. He is mainly known for his creative imaginary stories that were based on Lafayette County, Mississippi where he spent most of his life. Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature and especially Southern literature. He spent majority of his childhood years sitting around listening to his elders and family members telling stories that included war stories of the Civil war and slavery. "A Rose for Emily was his first story that was published in a major magazine called the Forum." When the short story was first published, it didn't do that well in the...show more content...
In her mind she is wanting to find someone who she could spend the rest of her life with but Homer is just wanting a fling and not a commitment. This is something that the citizens of Jefferson will worry about, as they feel that they must look after Emily since her father passing. The townspeople are like her parents and feel like it is in their best interest to look after her. This could make the reader show sympathy for Emily, rather than disliking her.
The writer also conveyed logos through the story. Faulkner used logos when he reveals Emily's logic which is twisted in many ways. Emily's worries that Homer would forsake her and this lead to a development of killing him. This was a reasonable progression. She figured that if she killed him she could keep his body and have him forever and being dead he would be there.
Faulkner used a setting and time to show Emily had a hard time accepting change and moving on with her life. They story took place right after the Civil War. Most African Americans were loathed and discriminated but Emily was relived from her father. Money showed a social statement back then and Emily's father had money. Since her father loaned the town money she had become a well appreciated woman even after his passing. In stated in the story, "she had chosen not to come out of the house and when the townspeople had saw her they seen a different Emily." As stated in the book
The Structure of A Rose for Emily
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a story that uses flashbacks to foreshadow a surprise ending. The story begins with the death of a prominent old woman, Emily, and finishes with the startling discovery that Emily as been sleeping with the corpse of her lover, whom she murdered, for the past forty years. The middle of the story is told in flashbacks by a narrator who seems to represent the collective memory of an entire town. Within these flashbacks, which jump in time from ten years past to forty years past, are hidden clues which prepare the reader for the unexpected ending, such as hints of Emily's insanity, her odd behavior concerning the deaths of loved ones, and the evidence that the...show more content...
When the people of the town try to explain away her odd behavior, they "did not say she was crazy then" (paragraph 28). This implies that although at that time she wasn't considered insane, and although the narrator never states so directly, there will come a time when she will be.
An important idiosyncrasy of Emily's that will help the reader to understand the bizarre finale of the story, is her apparent inability to cope with the death of someone she cared for. When deputies were sent to recover back taxes from Emily, she directed them to Colonel Sartoris, an ex–mayor that had told her she would never have to pay taxes, and a man that had been dead for ten years. Years before this incident, however, after her father had died, she continued to act has if he had not, and only allowed his body to be removed when threatened with legal action. Considering the fate of her lover's corpse, one suspects she would have kept her father's corpse also, had the town not known of his death.
Littered throughout the story is evidence that the murder took place. When Emily takes up with Homer Barron, a man whom the narrator makes clear was not the marrying kind; rumors start to fly about the two at a time when it was not considered proper for a man and woman to live together. The town, her relatives, and the Baptist minister disapproved of the relationship, and Emily was in danger of loosing Homer. A year after the relationship begins, and the pressures to either marry
A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner Essay
William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" narrates the life of Emily Grierson as seen by the villagers. Controlled by her father and her family background, Emily is a woman deprived of the opportunity to live life at its fullest and experience human passions such as love. Furthermore, she lacks a "sense of self" that causes her confusion and makes it difficult for her to form relationships. Due to the lack of identity and isolation presented all throughout her life, Emily suffers from psychological problems related to schizophrenia. Identity begins forming during the adolescent stage of life (Donovan). This stage, referred to as the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage, is the time period in life when an adolescent develops a "sense of self" and a "role" in life (Donovan). If, however, this stage is hindered, the adolescent suffers from confusion (Donovan). Emily is a victim to such confusion. She is torn between living up to her family's background or pursuing what makes her happy. However, due to the lack of a mother figure and the ever–present father figure, Emily embraces a foreclosure identity. Foreclosure identity is characterized as taking on the values, beliefs and expectations of the parent without knowing why (Donovan). Typically, people with this identity are obedient and cannot function without rules, but are generally unhappy, lack initiative, have poor communication skills, and suffer an inner rebellion (Donovan). All of these characteristics