Analysis Of A Rose For Emily

     In the short story A Rose for Emily, by William Faulkner there is a very interesting character. Her Name is Emily Grierson and she is a rich southern gentile. All her life it seems that she was raised at a standard that was above the rest. By living such a secluded and controlled life it set her up for the happenings in her future.

Desperation for love arising from detachment can lead to extreme measures and destructive actions as exhibited by the tumultuous relationships of Miss Emily in William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily” (rpt. in Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 9th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2006] 556). Miss Emily is confined from society for the majority of her life by her father, so after he has died, she longs for relations that ironically her longing destroys. The despondency and obsession exuded throughout the story portray the predicament at hand.

Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” illustrates the evolution of a small, post-Civil War community, as the new generation of inhabitants replaces the pre-Civil War ideals with more modern ideas. At the center of the town is Emily Grierson, the only remaining remnant of the upper class Grierson family, a “Southern gentlewoman unable to understand how much the world has changed around her.” (Kazin, 2). This essay will focus on Emily Grierson and her attempts to control change after her father’s death.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world where gossip and judgment didn’t exist? Almost all of Americans gossip in their daily lives, but never realize the negative consequences it can have on a person’s life. In A Rose for Emily, the town's gossiping greatly enhanced the story because it pushed Emily to become isolated and to kill Homer Barron with arsenic. William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily establishes conflict through gossip and explores how it can have a long standing impact, especially mentally.

In “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner gives an insight into the life of an insecure, abused, and disturbed woman. Miss Emily is a difficult woman to understand. With years of mental abuse, Miss Emily’s mindset regarding social life is twisted making her awkward and insecure. Although Miss Emily seems very proud to be a Grierson, She has been a victim of extreme mental abuse inflicted by her father. One example is in paragraph 25 quote “None of the young men were quite good enough to Miss Emily and such.

man in her life Emily's father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Emily

A clear chronology of all the events in Emily’s life can be established in order although it is hard because Faulkner moves back and fourth. On page 281 of A Rose for Emily, it begins with mentioning that the whole town went to Miss Emily’s funeral. Faulkner did something with A Rose for Emily that not many would think of doing. When a story is written in chronological order, a reader is not surprised with the ending and it does not have a suspenseful feeling. The readers do not gain a strong feeling with any of the characters. If the reader were to read A Rose for Emily in chronological order then they would not be left with an eagerness. Faulkner

William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose For Emily” describes the life of Miss Emily Grierson, a reclusive woman who refuses social change and becomes the subject of local gossip. It was published in 1930, and set in post-Civil War Jefferson, Mississippi, during a time of forceful change in the South. The theme of this story is the destructive effects of time (Shmoop). The people of the town are struggling to maintain tradition while adapting to widespread change. A symbol of this reluctant change is Emily’s personality and character.

The short, nonchalant remark made by Mrs. Wright shows that she believed he deserved death from what he did and that she did not regret her decision what so ever. Another tragic breaking point is displayed in “A Rose for Emily” when Emily kills her boyfriend because she does not want him to leave her and be alone for the rest of her life. In the short story, Emily’s boyfriend is portrayed as a man who does not want to be tied down to someone, while Emily is wanting to settle down. Unfortunately, the odds are against him because his girlfriend has a problem with letting him go. This can be seen when the town breaks into Emily’s restricted room to find shocking details. An indentation of a head and a long strand of iron-gray hair is found on

A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner tells the story of an old lady, Miss Emily, who has been stuck in her own world for quite some time. The story uncovers the truth about the town’s mystery, Miss Emily.

Emily is a woman that has had a hard life. Her family made it so that she was held in high regard in the public eye. She was not suppose to encounter relationships that were below her stature. The town, being the antagonist, drives Emily to her insanity because they will not allow her to lead a normal life. They liked the “show” they were watching a refused to give it up.

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” concentrates on Emily Grierson, an old southern woman who is set in her ways as the town Jefferson progresses around her. The story continues by comparing Emily when she was a young lady to the woman she became. Faulkner explores the secret life of Emily, who is the center of the town’s gossip and unearths Emily’s past, and her hidden secrets. Through Faulkner’s Southern Gothic style of writing he illustrates a time, which would be otherwise unimaginable for the reader, the author uses these Gothic elements to create an atmosphere that gives the reader a sense of doom throughout the story, while also using these elements to further the plot through strong foreshadowing.

Grace Sparks Mrs. Potts Eng1123-C 17 February 2015 The Fallen Miss Emily In life, everyone suffers some sort of grief, whether its through death or heartbreak. In "A Rose For Emily" by William Faulkner, a lonely and selfish woman named Miss Emily suffers both. Within the story, Miss Emily loses her father and a lover to death.

The story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner would be drastically different if it was written from the point of view of Miss Emily. Her intentions and thoughts would be more pronounced, and because of this, the ending of the story may not come as such a shock. In addition, Miss Emily would be less distanced from the audience, and they would be able to understand her character in a way that the townspeople could not. Miss Emily being the narrator would immensely change the reader’s perception of the story’s ending and her character.

A Rose for Emily was written by William Faulkner, the story was written to show how the South has evolved, furthermore it is about a woman named Emily who refuses to accept change, as change is happening all around her. Emily is stuck in her ways and she functions as a symbol of the Old South as the town around her becomes more civilized and developed.