Love, Loss and Longing—three traits that many would agree Emily Grierson, the main character from William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily”, experiences inexorably. At first glance, one might be confident in one’s understanding of the story at face-value, claiming it to be a thrilling mystery with a mysterious ending. Another may try to analyze contextual evidence to answer some of the many unanswered questions this story proposes. Why does Emily sleep with the corpse of her late husband? Why does she kill him in the first place? Yet, I will not attempt to do so, at least not directly. I will instead turn to the perspective from which this story is told: that of the townspeople. The ways which they describe Emily will lead to tangential yet important realizations that they share more with the outlandish characters they describe than they realize, illuminating basic human tendencies that we all share along the way. In Part I of the story, Emily is introduced in detail that, at first glance, one may insignificant to the plot yet somewhat telling of Emily’s condition. After careful reflection on the words used, however, one could draw a very different conclusion: “[Emily] entered—a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head” (1). Emily is, in part, a manifestation of the negative effects that inevitably accompany wealth. First, she is described as wearing all “black”
Emily comes from a family with high expectations of her a sort of “hereditary obligation” (30). Emily has been mentally manipulated by her as so indicated in the line of the story “we did not say she was crazy then we believed she had to do that we remember all the young men her father had driven away” (32). There is already proof of mental illness in the family “remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great aunt, had gone completely crazy last” (32).
Is there any case in which a murderer would be justified in killing? What if the murderer suffered from a severe form of mental illness? In William Faulkner chilling short story called A Rose for Emily, we see a character who murders her lover, but was it her fault? Emily had been mentally unstable for a long time and her family had a long history of suffering from mental illnesses as well, but at the end of the day there is no justification for murder. Some of the most notorious serial killers and murderers have suffered from one form or another of mental illness. People like Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer all suffered from some form of mental illness ("Dangerous Minds: Mental Illnesses of Infamous Criminals"). Although there is an understanding on how a person with mental illness is more susceptible to commit violent crimes, it is still wrong. In a study it was found that “no significant difference in the rates of violence among people with mental illness and other people living in the same neighborhood” (Publications). Emily killed Homer due to lack of morality caused by a combination of terrible parenting and a system that put her above the law. The relationship she had with her father was a distinct one, he pushed her into a little bottle and never let her out. She wasn’t allowed to be a person, but instead a trapped soul yearning for attention and love. The town in which she lived, held her on this pedestal that separated her from the rest of the
When a person has only been taught dysfunctional love, it is all too often that this is the only kind of love they will ever experience. In “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner explores an unorthodox relationship between an aristocratic southern lady named Miss Emily Grierson, and a blue-collar northern fellow named Homer Barron. The narrator, who likely represents the townspeople, describes Miss Emily’s unusual father in detail. Because of this illuminating description, the reader is able to begin to understand the strange dynamic Mr. Grierson and his daughter share. The story reveals how an over-controlling parent can negatively
We are able to find some possible answers in the writing A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. The composition includes five parts that tell us short episodes about Emily Grierson’s life and if we can read between the lines, perhaps we get answers and explanations, how could the outside facts, like her father’s influence, manipulate the decisions, ideology and the life of a people. This essay will explain the role of Mr. Grierson in her daughter, Emily’s life.
In the story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner, the author talks about a life of a woman and the town she lived in.
In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner escorts the reader through the peculiar life of the main character Miss Emily Grierson. The gloomy tone of the story is set by the author beginning his tale with the funeral of Miss Emily. During course of the story, we are taken through different times in Miss Emily’s life and how she was lost in time, with the town around her moving forward. Through the use of southern gothic writing style, narrator point of view, and foreshadowing, Faulkner aids the reader in creating a visualization of Miss Emily and the town in which she lives while also giving an insight into her sanity.
While a “Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor share the common themes of unexpected death and the old south, the murders found in each story are vastly different. Both stories tell of strong female protagonists who don’t cope well with change and both foreshadow death right from the beginning, but the murderers themselves come from completely different worlds.
In William Faulkner 's short story "A Rose for Emily" the reader is given the account of an old woman who is rejected by society. The reader is acquainted with Miss Emily Grierson by a spectator, somebody who is not Miss Emily, but rather part of the town that rejects her. The storyteller has a somewhat omniscient perspective, knowing more than the normal town 's individual, however not all that matters there is to think about Miss Emily. The storyteller is available for the greater part of the scene, however never assumes a noteworthy part which would have him talk or do anything critical. William Faulkner purposely composes the story in this design to indicate precisely how
Emily is a character surrounded by mystery, leaving a mark on the influence of others, causing them to create their own scenarios about her life. It happened when she met Homer, when everyone hoped she will marry him, or when she bought poison and everyone thought she would poison herself. Her high wealthy status and respect were emphasized when she kicked out the people who
However, she was the centre of furious gossip in the entire town especially when her relationship with Homer Barron started.
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
There are many ways to read a piece of writing. A reader could take the work at face value, investigate and ponder ideas introduced, or closely examine each minuscule detail in the writing. In order to fully enjoy William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” readers must do the latter. Faulkner is a witty writer; some symbols are less obvious than others in his writing. To fully appreciate and obtain full meaning of the text readers must pay attention to his symbols and how they contribute to the greater theme. William Faulkner uses symbolization in “A Rose for Emily” to develop a theme of personal struggle. Emily faces many personal struggles: her relationship with the townspeople, her struggle to remain unchanging in a modernizing town, her
William Faulkner 's "A Rose for Emily" is a short story that has also been adapted into a short film; both have been largely debated. Faulkner’s lack of a normal chronology and situation-triggered memories generates a story that has many understandings among its readers, but surprises everyone at the end. When asked about the title of his story, Faulkner said," [The title] was an allegorical title; the meaning was, here was a woman who had had a tragedy, an irrevocable tragedy and nothing could be done about it, and I pitied her and this was a salute . . . to a woman you would hand a rose." (Faulkner, William 1966 ;) He gave a humble explanation, for such a complex story.
William Faulkner grew up in Mississippi and had a good understanding and knowledge of major historical events in the South, some of which he lived through (Murphy). The 1920’s to 1950’s were a time when segregation and discrimination were common and violence was an everyday occurrence. It was also a time when Faulkner wrote most of his stories. These problems are often evident and reflected in his writing. His stories explored the racial divide happening during this troubling period of American history and the previous years, and are also unique partly because of his writing style and the close personal similarities he held with many characters in these stories. These stories took place in his fictional Yoknapatawpha County, a town similar