Essay On The Home In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In Milinda Schwab’s A Watch for Emily, Schwab expresses that several scholars have attempted to uncover the confusing chronology of the short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. Yet none of these scholars have addressed this one specific item, the watch found in Miss Emily’s pocket as she is introduced to the readers, Schwab finds this to be troubling and highly significant. Schwab goes on to express how the watch’s placement is Miss Emily’s extreme example of her need to control change, and to keep time in her pocket (216). Schwab backs this up by relating and explaining how the watch’s placement is

The house, similarly to Emily, is a symbol - and the only surviving tribute of the decaying privileged class. By the time the story takes place plenty has changed. What was once “a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with

Even the casual reader of William Faulkner will recognize the element of time as a crucial one in much of the writer's work, and the critical attention given to the subject of time in Faulkner most certainly fills many pages of criticism. A goodly number of those pages of criticism deal with the well-known short story, "A Rose for Emily." Several scholars, most notably Paul McGlynn, have worked to untangle the confusing chronology of this work (461-62). Others have given a variety of symbolic and psychological reasons for Emily Grierson's inability (or refusal) to acknowledge the passage of time. Yet in all of this careful literary analysis, no one has discussed one

„A Rose for Emily”, a story of horror first published in 1930, is considered by many scholars one of the most authentic and the best narratives ever written by William Faulkner. It is a story of a woman, Emily Grierson, and her relationships with her father, the man she was in love with and the community of Jefferson, the town she lived in.

As the renovations were complete, the streets paved, miss Emily and Homer Barron were still seen riding together but one night Homer Barron left and didn’t return for some time. The town once again felt bad for Emily that the one man that she finely liked and spent her time with has left her. After a while Homer Barron returned and one night, as he came to miss Emily’s house he was never seen again. Years passed, miss Emily became sick and her hair started turning gray. Then finely, the author comes back to where he left off in the beginning. Miss Emily died and the authorities went into her house. As the writer tells the reader, before her death and after Homer Barron’s disappearance, the second floor of the house was completely off limits to everyone.

In "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner's use of setting and characterization foreshadows and builds up to the climax of the story. His use of metaphors prepares the reader for the bittersweet ending. A theme of respectability and the loss of, is threaded throughout the story. Appropriately, the story begins with death, flashes back to the past and hints towards the demise of a woman and the traditions of the past she personifies. Faulkner has carefully crafted a multi-layered masterpiece, and he uses setting, characterization, and theme to move it along.

In William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” Miss Emily Grierson holds on to the past with a grip of death. Miss Emily seems to reside in her own world, untarnished by the present time around her, maintaining her homestead as it was when her father was alive. Miss Emily’s father, the manservant, the townspeople, and even the house she lives in, shows that she remains stuck in the past incapable and perhaps reluctant to face the present.

Emily's house is where Emily spent most of her life in isolation after the death of her father. Externally, it is considered to be "an eyesore among eyesores"(716) It is amongst cotton gins and that were put up after homes that previously resided on the street had since been moved out. Her house is basically the picture of decay amongst the newer buildings. This could possibly signify Emily's position in the town, or the town's position in the rest of the world. On one hand, the town is small and isolated, but on the other hand, Emily has isolated herself entirely from the rest of the town and seems to cling to her past even more so than the town itself.

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.

“A Rose for Emily”, written by William Faulkner, tells the story of a lonely woman who is stuck in her own timeframe. Miss Emily refuses to adapt to the new ways of the South and keeps her own traditions instead. The town she lived in spread much gossip about her, they pitted her lost soul. “A Rose for Emily” highlights the traditions of the Old South vs the New, which is told through the life of Miss Emily who refuses to change.

Cleverly, William Faulkner uses many symbols in “A Rose for Emily” to signify change and decay. From well described characters to the use of Miss. Emily’s home, decay unfolds all around. William Faulkner descriptively uses Emily’s Home, Homer Barron and Emily’s physical transformation to symbolize change and decay throughout the story.

All of the surrounding area has “cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps” (451) and her home is the only left remaining in the now commercial area. This brings us to the next point that “only miss Emily’s house was left” (451) which, could symbolize how she is the only person from a long forgotten time that remains. Moving along, Emily has most of the communities eyes on her because of her house which, “had once been white” (451) and this only helps to fuel the fire because all of the people gossip about her. Anyways, people always wanted to know about Emily on the what use to be “the most select street” (451) does since she is rarely seen leaving her home after ceasing to do any china painting lessons. Not to mention all of the “garages and cotton gins” (451) that now surround her home making it “an eyesore among eyesores” (451). Furthermore, is how this can also symbolize decay because of it being “an eyesore among eyesores” (451) this can represent just how beaten up this old house looks being surrounded by all these

She loved the man so much that killed him and kept his dead, decomposing body. Miss Emily loved a man so much that she killed him and kept him. In William Faulkner’s narrative “A Rose For Emily,” the main character Miss Emily spent part of her life hoarding away the dead body of Homer Barron and Faulkner leaves out the details of her experience with the decomposing body but science shows that she would have experienced the stages of bloat, active decay, and advanced decay.

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.

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