William Faulkner 's A Rose For Emily And Dry August

On September 25, 1897, William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi. He stands as one of the most preeminent American writers of the twentieth century. His literary reputation included poetry, novels, short stories, and screenplays. Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature. “A Rose for Emily” is a short fascinating story written by William Faulkner and it was his first short story published in a national magazine. The story involved an old woman named Emily Grierson, the daughter of a rich man that was considered a hero in the town where they lived. The story takes place in the fictional Town of Jefferson, Mississippi during and after the civil war between the Northerners and Southerners. Emily’s childhood was never easy; her father was always overprotective with her even when she was a grown woman. Charmaine Mosby an English Professor of Western Kentucky University in his work analysis of “A Rose for Emily” writes, “Miss Emily Grierson had been cut off from most social contact and all courtship by her father.” This was the principal reason why Emily Grierson was always a lonely soul.

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” it is clear how Emily’s gender affects how the individuals in the town perceive her. Emily’s gender particularly affects how men understand her. Throughout the whole piece Emily is seen as a helpless individual who is lonely and has suffered losses throughout her life. When the reader reaches the end of the story the actions that Emily has taken is unexpected because of the way she is perceived by the narrator. In the beginning of the story, when the whole town was at her funeral and the men were discussing her life, none of the townspeople ever say anything negative about Emily. The men went to the funeral because they saw Emily as a fallen monument to the town. The narrator discusses how the town felt that Emily had become a tradition for them to take care of her. The narrator even points out how she did not have to pay taxes. This clearly shows how women are perceived in this town. Women are seen as unable to take care of themselves and as innocent humans. The way the narrator talks about Emily gives the reader the idea that Emily could never hurt anyone, because of this idea the reader is shocked at the end of the story. The feminist view of Emily allows the reader to be shocked by the ending of the story and it also allows the reader to see the way masculinity is understood in this piece.

William Cuthbert Faulkner was born into a financially stable family from New Albany, Mississippi. Faulkner dropped out of high school to work in his grandfathers store. While at the store Faulkner found out he enjoyed writing. Faulkner enrolled at U of Mississippi to pursue his his passion of writing. ("William Faulkner",Discovering Authors)

Stubborn and a bit unstable, Emily Grierson is the main character of William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily “. Emily is a prime example of a flat character because she seldom changes throughout the whole story. Emily acts as if nothing has changed over the years. In the town of Jefferson, It’s as if time went to a stood still. She shows this flat affect throughout the story in many instances. For example, like her refusing to pay her taxes, not keeping up with the maintenance of her father’s home after his passing. So much so that the home was referred to as “an eyesore among eyesores, still standing among the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps (Faulkner, p. 121).

In William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose For Emily”, there are a few themes and symbols that are the most significant. The main character, Emily Grierson, is used to display the struggle against change while trying to keep old traditions alive. Emily’s house is a perfect symbol of old traditions. The theme of death is also displayed, as death seems to just follow Emily throughout her life. At the end of the short story, something as simple as a piece of long, gray hair becomes a huge symbol of the story, answering many questions for the community and, of course, the readers.

Compare and Contrast: “A Rose for Emily” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

Faulkner grew up in Oxford, Mississippi where he remained except for brief trips to New Orleans, some youthful wanderings, and a few years in the Royal Air Force. After a promising start as a student, Faulkner began to lose interest and to do poorly in school when he entered his teens. It was at this time that he began to write poetry and short stories. In high school, he was more interested in sports and extracurricular activities than in his studies. The pattern of his writing’s was based upon what he saw in Oxford or remembered from his childhood; or scraps of family tradition, or in stories told by men in overalls, squatting on their heels while they passed around a fruit jar of corn liquor. All of his stories can be linked together to tell one big story of how he saw his family life, and how time has changed the South. The characters in most of his stories reflect upon real life people whom he shared his love for as a child and as an adult.

Faulkner continues his southern gothic writing style when the story goes back to an earlier time in Miss Emily’s life. Faulkner

William Faulkner’s grandfather, also named William, owned a railroad company in hopes his son, Faulkner 's father, would inherit the business, however, Faulkner’s grandfather did not deem his son capable of running the business, so he sold it. Soon after a stretch of being the first Assistant U.S Attorney, he became president of the First National Bank in Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner 's father, Murray Falkner, worked at the University of Mississippi as business manager. William Falkner, later changed to Faulkner, was born on September 25, 1897 to a semi-wealthy family in New Albany, Mississippi, and was the first of four sons born to Murray C. Falkner and Maud Butler. Although born in New Albany Faulkner would live in Oxford, Mississippi periodically for the rest of his life.

William Cuthbert Faulkner, born on September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi, started his writing career in his teenage years. Reading and writing poetry was something that interested Faulkner in his early years along with drawing. Faulkner did well in school, but later grew tired of it

William Faulkner is one of the most accomplished authors in the history of American Literature. Having been born and raised in the heart of Mississippi, Faulkner used his first-hand experiences from growing up in the Deep South and translated it into some of the most widely read Southern literature. The impact that William Faulkner had on society is perfectly summarized by George Garrett, who stated that “no contemporary writer can ignore the work of William Faulkner,” adding that these aspiring writers will always wind up reading book written both by Faulkner and about him (Garrett 419). Faulkner displayed a much different style of writing than that of his contemporaries.

The writer and Nobel Prize winner, William Cuthbert Faulkner, was born in New Albany, Mississippi, on September 25, 1897. Faulkner was the first of four sons to Murry Cuthbert Falkner and Maud Butler. His family settled in Oxford when he was about five years old, and Faulkner spends most of his life there. Faulkner was successful early in his life, but during the fifth grade he lost interest in school and started missing classes. He did not graduate from high school, and later on he was able to go to the University of Mississippi in Oxford, but dropped out after three semesters. He is known as one of the most famous Southern literature writers, mostly for his novels and poetry. William Faulkner's literary career was influenced by

Faulkner was very intelligent but seemed to lack interest in school; Faulkner dropped out of school to [form his passion for writing] (Brinkmeyer).He began as a poet and then a writer of fiction (Brinkmeyer), Faulkner then traveled around the world to explore his books and to live his passion. Being born into such a respected southern family that played into Mississippi’s history (“William Faulkner”) meant the Faulkner’s name would be lived down forever and he would have big shoes to fill. William Clark Faulkner, his great-grandfather served in the Confederate Army and had been involved in the development of the American railroad. His great-grandfather was a novelist which inspired him to want to pursue a writing career. All of Faulkner’s experiences shaped his style of writing which were dense and packed at times [and with bursting points], embodies his belief that every moment of existence is pressured almost to suffocation by all that has come before- the past, as he said, is never past( Brink Meyer).

Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy. New York: Harpers Collins,

     Faulkner was born September 25, 1897 in New Albany, Mississippi. His named was inherited from his grandfather William Clark Faulkner, a skilled businessman and writer. After relocation to Oxford, Mississippi Faulkner’s father started the First National Bank (“William Faulkner #3”). As a child in Oxford, William held a very artistic ideal of life, often drawing