William Faulkner 's A Rose For Emily

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

In William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily,” the main character of the story is Miss Emily Grierson. To analyze and examine her character, it is almost impossible not to look at the psychological aspect of it. Through the narrative of Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” Miss Emily’s behavior and character is revealed as outright strange from any average standard of characters.

In the story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner, the author talks about a life of a woman and the town she lived in.

Love is an intense feeling of affection for someone, while hate is a feeling of an intense dislike or loathe for someone. However, they are both similar due to how these emotions cause a human to act irrationally. The lone woman in A Rose for Emily and the cashier, Sammy, in A & P both portrayed a greater sense of hate which overcame their love.

William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” begins and ends with death. The death of Miss Emily Grierson, the main character in the short story that takes on the role of a person with an abnormal personality. The narrator tells the tale of Miss Emily’s life following her departure at age seventy four. Although, Miss Emily lived a long life she remained secluded for decades without any human contact. Miss Emily’s mental health is certainly a questionable matter considering the life she leads in this fictional short story. “Human beings have enormous potential to strive toward a higher plane of emotional life” (Brenton 2). With this being said individuals who encounter chronic stress and lack the basic human relationships compromise their mental health. By examining Miss Emily’s mental status, behavior, interactions and personal relationships, it is possible she would have been diagnosed with a form of mental illness according to today’s standards.

In the short story, “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner there are several changes between the point of view of the narrator. The identity and reliability of the narrator is unascertainable and creates more questions than it answers. The narrator is present for all of the scenes that take place in the story, but does not play a role in the events, and speaks for the town as a whole. The reader is introduced to Miss Emily Grierson by an onlooker, someone who is not Miss Emily, but a part of the town that rejects her. The narrator changes point of view as his opinion of Emily change. The character of the narrator is better understood by examining the tone of the lines spoken by this “we” person, who changes his/her mind about Miss Emily at certain points in the narration.

“A Rose for Emily”, written by William Faulkner, is a story about a lonely upper-class woman who is struggling with life and the traditions in the Old South. Besides the effective use of literary techniques, such as symbolism and a first plural-person narrative style, Faulkner also succeeds in creating a suspenseful and mysterious story by the use of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a device used to give hints about what is going to happen in a story without giving the ending away, which also allows the reader to become completely involved with the story and predict the outcome of the overall work. Foreshadowing gave a powerful description about death and the tragic struggle of Miss Emily and in general, the use of this technique often relates to the events in the story rather than to describe a character. The overpowering stench inside Miss Emily’s home, the second floor of the residence being completely closed away and the discovery of the iron grey hair when the bedroom door finally opened up, are all strong foreshadowing tactics that were used to achieve such a surprising and strong but also believable ending to such a twisted story. Faulkner’s use of foreshadowing is used ingeniously to achieve a shocking and powerful ending.

William Faulkner uses symbols of time and tradition to explain how life in the South was after the Civil War. He also uses Emily as a timeless object that ruins her life due because she lived her life as if she was still in the Old South. She gave up her social life by just staying in the house and sending her servant for anything she had to do outside. The story shows that time and tradition is her house, social life and environment. Emily keeps tradition even though the times change. Traditions are sometimes left because the world and the way people live changes rapidly. At this time the Civil War had passed and a lot of the government has already changed. Emily does not accept the change in society and for that reason, it affected her social life, her house and environment in negative ways.

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story that shows readers that you can never truly know a person completely. In the story, the townspeople in the small southern town called Jefferson felt as if they knew Miss Emily very well. They assume that she is just a depressed and lonely old lady who’s going through a rough time in her life. Later they finally realize that she is not who they thought she was.

The “Rose” in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” we learn about a beautiful and elegant woman named Emily Grierson. She grew up with a controlling father who chased away all of her suitors, leaving her hungry for love. She soon meets a Northerner, whom she falls in love with and goes through desperate measures to keep him, driven by her jealousy.

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, set in the Antebellum South, is a Southern Gothic short story littered with a contingent of iconic, significant and monumental supporting characters. From the gregarious Homer Barron to the taciturn Tobe, these characters are characterized by their symbolism and their pivotal influence on the underlying themes in “A Rose for Emily”. One such character, who is particularly monumental due to its inanimateness, is the Grierson Household itself. Because of the denigration of its surroundings, its exterior and its interior, the fall of the Grierson Household represents the death of the prosperity of the Antebellum South.

“A Rose for Emily” is a short story by William Faulkner whose protagonist is Mrs. Emily. She has been raised strictly by her father who restricted her from social life. The only people she was free to talk to was her father and her servant, Toby. When her father dies, she holds on to her body and refuses to release it for burial. However, she releases it, but drowns into loneliness. She falls in love with Mr. Homer whom she kills and keeps his body in her house for company. Not until she dies that Mr. Homer’s body is discovered. During this time, Mrs. Emily lived with her servant, Toby, who only left the house after she was dead. As Faulkner (1003) asserts “THE Negro met the first of the ladies at the front door and let them in, with their hushed, sibilant voices and their quick, curious glances, and then he disappeared.” The disappearance of Toby creates a scenario of uncertainty about where he disappears to, why he disappears and the nature of his relationship with Mrs. Emily.

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

The author uses historical context to show the town as a symbol of the new South. “Even though Miss Emily was a child during the Civil War, she represents to generations past and present the old Deep South of the Delta cotton-plantation aristocracy. She is a visible holdover into the modern South of a bygone era of romance, chivalry, and the Lost Cause.” (Madden). Emily functions as a foil of the town in which she is living, while the town has been evolving to a newer south. She is stuck in her old southern ways even as the town is changing around her likewise it creates a conflict between the town and Emily because of the fact that the town is trying to get her to accept that things are changing. For example when Emily’s father died, she was in denial and the town was trying to get her to let go of her father and let him be buried. “Additionally, Faulkner’s own personal experiences with