Symbolism In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In the short story A Rose for Emily written by William Faulkner, readers are immersed in the narrative of a supposed town member who describes the impact that the recent death of an old woman has had upon their small community. In the narrative, readers are taken on a journey through the life of Miss Emily, an old, lonely woman who is seemingly frozen in her own timeframe. As the story unfolds, readers learn about the various tragedies Emily encountered in her lifetime such as the sudden death of her controlling father as well as her alienation from other family members that leaves her utterly alone following his death. Audiences also learn about events that happened throughout Emily’s life that both molded her as a person and aided in shaping her reputation around the town. From her controversial relationship with a construction worker named Homer Barron to her suspicious purchase of arsenic at the local drug store, there is no question that Emily lived under the constant scrutiny of her fellow townspeople. After reading the initial sentences, it can be concurred that this story doesn’t simply describe the life of an old, questionably insane woman, but also the story of the age-old battle between old and new. Through symbolism and an artful arrangement of the events described, Faulkner is able to meticulously weave a tale of the clash between newer and older generations’ views and standards.

“Garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores” (Faulkner 52). With the small town of Jefferson growing into a modern, more commercial area, Miss Emily’s traditional ways and unchanged house leave the town in a critical situation. They must choose to move forward or continue to live in the ways of the past. In William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily,” he embraces the theme, tradition versus change, in an effort to display that traditions are important and should be honored, however they can also hold you back and separate you from the

William Faulkner once said, The article describes the fate of a southern town after the American Civil War. As the patriarch of the family, Emily's father leaned heavily to maintain the rank and dignity so he drove all the courtship to love Emily and deprived her of her right to happiness. After the death of her father, Emily fell in love with a foreman northerner that was building the railway for the town. But Emily still did not get rid of the shackles of family dignity and her father's influence on her approach. When she found that Homer Barron had no intention to marry her, she poisoned him with arsenic. Since then, Emily closed herself in the old house, and lived with his dead father for 40 years, until she died. The town residents found the secret at the funeral of Emily. William Faulkner is a pivotal figure in the history of American literature, known as the head of the Southern Renaissance and the leader of the Southern literature. "A Rose for Emily" is Faulkner's most classic short story. In this novel, Faulkner used a symbolic, like rose, Emily and the shadow of father, to reveal the contradictions and conflicts between the American old-age cultural minds and the northern industrial civilization after the civil war. He shaped a fallen southern aristocratic lady “Emily “in the tragedy of personal and social, realistic and traditional tragedy.

“A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, is a story of Miss Emily Grierson, a woman who was born into a wealthy family in the town of Jefferson. She grew up and lived in a huge Victorian home with servants. After the Civil War, it seems that her family’s wealth started to diminish but the Grierson’s were still trapped in the past of their family’s wealth. Emily Grierson’s past and present life is being recalled by a narrator who expresses the attitudes and ideas of the community. The narrator uses phrases like “We knew”, “We said”, and “We believed” to show the towns involvement. The townspeople pity Miss Emily and look at her as “fallen monument.

Faulkner's story initiates with the death of his primary focus. The deceased recluse, Emily, who had to that juncture existed only in the lonely recesses of her house and in the prying gossip of the townspeople, is a figure beset upon by a unique

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.

William Faulkner has done a wonderful work in his essay “A Rose for Emily.” Faulkner uses symbols, settings, character development, and other literary devices to express the life of Emily and the behavior of the people of Jefferson town towards her. By reading the essay, the audience cannot really figure out who the narrator is. It seems like the narrator can be the town’s collective voice. The fact that the narrator uses collective pronoun we supports the theory that the narrator is describing the life of “Miss Emily” on behalf of the townspeople. Faulkner has used the flashback device in his essay to make it more interesting. The story begins with the portrayal of Emily’s funeral and it moves to her past and at the end the readers realize that the funeral is a flashback as well. The story starts with the death of Miss Emily when he was seventy-four years old and it takes us back when she is a young and attractive girl.

The whip he held was a sign of strictness, power, and protectiveness he had towards Emily. When Miss Emily’s father dies, her refusal to admit that he died shows her unwillingness to accept change. The watch Miss Emily wore tucked out of sight in her belt is also symbolic of this. Another symbol of her unwillingness to change was her refusal to allow the new guard to put the numbers of her house for free mail delivery and her use of old paper and old ink in her answer to the demand for tax payment. Her refusal to pay taxes and her dilapidated house also reflected her unwillingness to change. The Grierson house represents the Old South and is symbolic of an age gone by. The poor upkeep of the house relates to Miss Emily and her poor upkeep. The fact that cotton wagons and gasoline pumps flanked the house represents the conflict between the Old South (Miss Emily) and the New South (the changing town). Faulkner also used the stench that permeated the air around Miss Emily’s house as symbolism. It symbolized the sour faultiness in southern thinking or logic; that the town would rather cover up the smell (townsmen with the lime) than uncover the cause. The bedroom where Homer was found dead symbolized a few things. First, it symbolized Emily. It was upstairs representing the high and mighty Griersons and it was secluded from everyone like Miss Emily was for the majority of her life.

“The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him.” (Faulkner 151) In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner’s eloquent word choice and timing, take you on an extraordinarily intense joy ride through the life of Miss Emily Grierson. As Faulkner slowly guides the reader to the morbid finale, creatively utilizing a narrator and foreshadowing to set the tone and advance his unique plot, he provides just enough to keep the reader in suspense. Equally important, Faulkner’s references of Emily’s corpse-like appearance coupled with the smell of decay surrounding her home described as “-an eyesore among eyesores,” (144) are all subtle clues foreshadowing an inevitable outcome.

Emily's appearance somewhat fell from over the years. She used to be a beautiful woman in her prime, but when the deputy went to her house to ask her about paying taxes, she looked much different than before she closed herself up into her house. In that aspect, Emily could be a metaphor for the appearance of the South during its decline. During war, the North started total warfare; the total destruction of the South. In events such as Sherman’s March to the sea, the Union Soldiers destroyed a lot of the South. Emily appears to be a ruin of what she once was, just as the South looked beautiful before war and messy during the Reconstruction period. The same unkemptness and change from magnificent to unsightly could be said about her house as well.

In Faulkner's story, an onlooker tells of the peculiar events that occurred during Miss Emily's life. The author never lets the reader understand Emily's side to the story. Instead, the reader is forced to guess why Emily is as strange as she is. In the story, Emily had harbored her father's dead body in her house for three days (par. 27). The reader is told of how the town looked upon what Emily had done, but the reader is never able to fully understand Emily's actions until the end of the story.

William Faulkner implies Emily?s stubbornness with subtle clues in description and through symbols. Faulkner would like us to take notice of

Literary devices in a story are similar to the components of an engine in a car. Factors that reveal the author’s message to the reader are critical. In “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, uses point of view, character, and symbolism to bring the reader into his world. It is through the eyes of the narrator that the reader can see the lapse of Miss Emily’s timeline, the unfolding of her character, and the symbolic nature of her actions and possessions. The changes the town of Jefferson goes through, decade after decade reveals the contrast with Miss Emily’s personality and way of life. It is Miss Emily’s incapability to develop along with the town that makes Faulkner’s message about the inevitable changes in life more poignant.

Faulkner’s,” A Rose for Emily” is characterized by a powerful imagery, plot and setting which are interwoven to create a gothic feeling. The story unfolds in Jefferson, the living fragments of a land that is plagued with civil war. Among the remains of Jefferson is Emily’s house which appears to be the summary of what has become of the wealthy and noble in Jefferson. The description of the house in itself creates a haunting atmosphere. The “stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps,” coupled with the “cemetery”,

The story begins with the writer describing Miss Emily’s house, which was once nice and luxurious but has become hideous looking. Her house was once apart of the most select in the city, it was now covered with mold. “It was a big, squarish 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 our most select street.” (Lines 6-9) With the rebuilding of the Old South her house is left alone instead of making any improvements towards it, therefore emphasizing the habits Miss Emily is refusing to let go of.