preview

Emily Secrecy

Good Essays

A Rose for Emily, written by William Faulkner, is an interpretation of Emily’s life story unveiling her history, experience, and relationships thereby disclosing the major concepts of tradition, secrecy, and time. Tradition is an elemental concept considering the Southern American history that significantly contributes to the characterization of Emily, an ambiguous though commemorated character, all of which influence her interactions with the townspeople. The theme of secrecy is seen throughout the story by which Faulkner establishes through mood, Emily’s character and relationships, and even the implicit meaning of the title. Time is an important motif that compliments themes of tradition and history by which Faulkner intentionally emphasizes …show more content…

The story has an ambiguous, slightly dark mood as a result of Emily’s lifeless descriptions previously discussed and also her house which was portrayed to smell of “dank” from “dust and disuse” and filled with “shadow”(1) which provides an antiquated and cold, dark imagery (1). In fact, it is appreciably through this dark, mysterious imagery and the townspeople’s consistent speculation of the reclusiveness of Emily, her house, and her relationships that accentuates feelings of secrecy. For instance, how the women that attended Emily’s funeral was out of “curiosity to see the inside” of Emily’s house with “hushed, sibilant voices” as they inquired (7). It could be argued that Faulkner presents the concept of secrecy through the townspeople’s curiosity to consequently reflect upon the reader’s likewise curiosity to explore Emily’s secrets, and in this way addresses the instinctive behavior of mankind to succumb to curiosity and secrets. That being said, the rose, an “emblem of silence” cultivated from greek mythology, was never physically present in the story instead could be interpreted figuratively as a symbol of secrecy. For instance, the reference to the bedroom in which Emily kept Homer Barron’s body being furnished with rose colour was figurative of Emily’s hidden secret of homicide. Furthermore, the story being titled “A Rose for Emily” could be interpreted as a respectful pact for Emily out of commemoration considering Faulkner never entails the details of Emily’s homicide in the story. It could also be argued that the townspeople are also complicit to Emily’s secrets, such as the druggist who bypasses the law by forming an invented claim for Emily’s request for arsenic before giving it to her. Furthermore, the townspeople’s intentions to reserve Emily’s secrets could be Faulkner’s implicit representation of

Get Access