StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper “A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner” provides a literary research Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” In this story William Faulkner offers a story of an unconventional spinster. The person being referred to as spinster in this case is Emily…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.7% of users find it useful
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner"

 A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Introduction “A rose of Emily” is a short story that was written by American author well known as William Faulkner. These were some of his first stories published in a national magazine in 1930 (Faulkner 3). In this story William Faulkner offers a story of an unconventional spinster. The person being referred to as spinster in this case is Emily. She is considered a spinster because of her father’s insistence that there was no young man who was good enough for her. This then makes Emily to lead a life of isolation. In addition, William Faulkner employs characterization, themes such as foreshadow and symbolism to indicate how Emily was restricted by her father and upon death she decides to take away the life of her only love, Homer (Faulkner 5). This paper therefore provides a literary research Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily.” Setting of the Story In literary terms, we can say that the setting of the story is rich in Faulkner. The setting is in a sinister old house in Mississippi. According to Faulkner (7), the author created his own Mississippi County, Yoknapatawpha, as the setting for the story that is much of his own fiction. This county comes with a variety of families including that of Grierson. In fact, this is a pretty good setting for the story. Although Jefferson and its inhabitants are unique, we can still view this town just like any other southern town during this particular period. The story marks a turning point to many of the inhabitants/southerners who lived during the era of slavery and did not know what to do following the end of this way of life, slavery. One can imagine being told that such a particular way of life is an atrocity or wicked. Followed by various generous southerners pride, and then it happens that you have a tragedy such as the one that is told on the onset of the story. One therefore becomes eager to know how future generations are bound to deal with such a legacy. In that regard, in order to understand the flow of the history, it is vital to comprehend the movement of Emily’s life. Therefore, this is equally vital in pinning down the chronological of events. A Rose for Emily Genre The genre of “A Rose for Emily” can be termed as tragic tale, Gothic fiction or horror, Southern Gothic, literary fiction, or modernism (Faulkner 8). Prior to seeing the forty-year-old corpse of Homer Barron rotting in the bed, the sinister Miss Emily, or the eerie house; we must admit that we are in the realm of Gothic fiction or horror. Given that the setting of this story is southern, it is therefore evident that it is not only a Gothic but a Southern Gothic. The southern Gothic genre focuses on the following: sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly – on slavery or repercussion of slavery in South and this very evident in “A rose of Emily.” Characterization of “A Rose for Emily” To begin with, Faulkner employs characterization in order to describe Emily as a wealthy crazy woman who is under the control of her father. Furthermore, her father maintains this control even after the death of Emily. Mrs. Grierson is considered to be lonely and is mainly interested in being loved. Miss Emily is an old-school southern belle who finds herself in a society that is bent and thus forcing her to stay in her role as a woman. This makes her to cling to the old way of life even with efforts to break free. Before is attains the age of forty years, she dies in a haunted house. This shows that Miss Emily is a tragic figure in this story. The second figure/character is Tobe who is described as “an old man-servant.” He is also a gardener and a cook at the same time. This is a more mysterious character compared to Emily and probably, the one who knows the cause of all the mysteries in the story. He is also a major figure who brings out the theme of compassion and forgiveness. All we can say about Tobe is that he is viewed as a caregiver (Faulkner 8). Thirdly, the other character is Emily’s father who is the guy with a gigantic horsewhip. Throughout the story, he is only referred to as Emily’s father. He did not approve of the man but is only seen in most instances when he controls the life of his daughter and insists that there is no young man to control his daughter. I think this is why he does it by himself. The story depicts Emily’s father as a very selfish man who lives in a selfish society under selfish restriction imposed on his daughter. The fourth character is Homer Baron who Emily takes his life. However, throughout the play the focus of the tragedy solely lies on Emily. According to the narrator, Homer is not a sympathetic character because people do not like him. We also realize that Jeffersonians don’t like him because he comes from North; he is rough talker, and an overseer in town. Much of the story behind his death and his relationship with Emily remains unclear. We don’t also understand the circumstance under which he died in bed or Emily ends killing him. The fifth character is Judge Stevens. Faulkner (9) affirms that he is one of the individuals that get one of the best lines in the story, “Dammit, sir, will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?” (2.9) although nothing much is highlighted about the judge but we can realize that he affirms that the smell would have raised an alarm for the need to inspect Emily’s home. He is also portrayed as an older person because we are told that he is 80 years of age and a very powerful southerner. The sixth character is the Colonel who is said to have tried to relieve Emily of her taxes after the death of her dad. He is also the mayor who reigns during the period when Emily killed Homer but did not take immediate action to carry out an inspection of Emily’s home. He is the man that Judge Stevens accuses of abusing his office and according to Judge Stephens; he should have handed over powers to a different mayor. The other group of characters is the two female cousins. The two cousins are more or less of Grierson than Miss Emily had ever been. This must not be misconstrued for an accolade. They are from Alabama and have relation to old lady Wyatt and had been estranged from Emily’s father since the time lady Wyatt passed on. Actually, they were estranged to an extent that they did not even attend the funeral of Emily’s father. The way the two cousins are portrayed in the story also exposes the darker irony within the play. They are also the people that townspeople call for to fight in ensuring that Emily stops dating Homer (Faulkner 12). However, the also indicate some sense of hatred to the cousins and in that case they push Emily to continue dating Homer Baron. Finally, the last character is the Old Lady Wyatt who is a great aunt to Emily but on her father’s side. According to townspeople, prior to her death, she must have run mad. She is obviously brought forth to show that insanity runs in Emily’s family. Through her, we realize that in “A Rose for Emily,” there are various tragedies that people cannot run away from since it is in lineage of the society (Faulkner 14). Writing Style of the story The writing style is full of lushness and this seen as Faulkner makes the reader to feel the blooming magnolias and the natural habitat around Emily’s house breeding. This helps in hiding the harshness of the world that Emily lives in, a world that she does not belong to. This world is depicted in the complex sentence that Faulkner is fond of using. Another part of this lushness is the other side of nature, the side that no one wants to imagine of and the side that hides death and decay. This lushness is also ironic since we acknowledge that although Emily’s place was probably lush and she never went outside to enjoy it. Basically, the story only celebrates lush of life that pushes others to hide from the light. Stylistic devices in “A Rose for Emily” (Symbolism, Imagery & Allegory or Foreshadow) Throughout the entire history of literature, writers have employed various stylistic devices in their work with the aim of delivering a certain message. In “A Rose for Emily,” the author employs imagery to convey a message to the reader(s). He wisely uses this symbolism to harness the theme of deterioration of a great woman, Emily. In this case, Emily’s house is a very essential symbol in this story. In Gothic Literature in general, old family houses are very significant. The house is described as 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……. – an eyesore among eyesores. (1.2)(Allen 687). T he above described house was built in 1870s and this creates the impression during this period the father worked hard. The house in this case is also a sign of Miss Emily’s isolation. In most scary stories, houses are usually used to display the opposite of what is supposed to be. Emily wanted to reside in a house that she can then proceed to marry the one she loved, Homer Barron. The stationary, pocket watch and the hair are symbols of time in the story. More so the struggle between the past and the future that is a threat that is likely to tear the present into pieces. This is clearly shown when the Board of Aldermen visits Emily to know concerning her taxes prior to her death (Faulkner 19). Generally, the Death of Emily therefore defined the enigma of her personality in the story. The story is the most mysterious and allegorical since it views Miss Emily as a fallen monument just like the house itself. Plot of the story In literary analysis of this poem, it is clear that the story has achieved almost all of the fundamental ingredients of a good story. Some of these ingredients include: the initial situation whereby in this case are death and taxes; conflict which clarifies a bizarre stuff about Emily; complication created by the town’s conscience; climax which comes roughly near the middle thus creating a symmetrical feeling; suspense where the relationship between Homer and Miss Emily is unclear; denouncement which clarifies or outlines Emily’s life that begins with a funeral; and finally the conclusion where the townspeople unearth what is inside a bedroom that remained closed for forty years, the bed and corpse of Homer (William 22). Conclusion William Faulkner’s “A Rose of Emily” is a tragic tale that he employs various stylistic devices to deliver message to the reader. He artistically employs flashbacks, symbolism, allegory, and shifts from time to time in order harness certain themes. We can also conclude that it is one of the tales that has properly used most of the fundamental ingredients of a good story. This story therefore serves as a toll for developing the horror and explicating the narrative that helps the reader to understand the whole story. The use of foreshadow is mainly aimed at preparing the reader of what is likely to be a gratuitous ending. In addition, it also creates structural and thematic unity within William Faulkner’s southern gothic literature (Faulkner 27). According to literary research above, it is clear that in “A Rose of Emily,” there are varied arguments that one can come up with. One of them is that isolation is likely to lead to insanity. The other argument is that the descriptions of the times are fundamental in characterization of the varied state of mind as the townspeople attempt to evaluate Emily. This is clearly seen when the father force his daughter Emily to live in Isolation on the grounds that there is no young man who can take good care of her. Apparently, Miss Emily is also considered a spinster due to her father’s insistence. Eventually we realize that through her father’s insistence, she lost her sanity after the loneliness became unbearable. Emily then decides to poison Homer and after she also dies several men go upstairs and finds Homer’s corpse lying in the bed. Miss Emily represents the part of southerners that its history is prevented from growing due to its traditions that ultimately drives her to kill Homer Baron (Faulkner 31). Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. New York: Perfection Learning, 2007. Print. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1”, n.d.)
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1472331-a-rose-for-emily-william-faulkner
(A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 1)
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 1. https://studentshare.org/literature/1472331-a-rose-for-emily-william-faulkner.
“A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 1”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1472331-a-rose-for-emily-william-faulkner.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and Luck by Mark Twain

In the paper “A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and Luck by Mark Twain” the author provides a comparative analysis of two short stories.... The literary texts included in the comparative analysis are “a rose for emily” by William Faulkner and “Luck” by Mark Twain.... The discussion and analysis posit, then, that "a rose" is an example of a literary work that possesses the "representativeness" quality that Johnson talks about because of its utilization of society's hostility of an individual because Emily chose to deviate from the norms of her community....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and the Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever

This paper "A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and the Five-Forty-Eight by John Cheever" focuses on the themes in both these works share the same general theme of insanity within the main female characters.... In “a rose for emily”, Emily had become so obsessed over her relationship with Homer that it made her insane.... nbsp; emily poisons Homer, killing him, though keeping his body with her in their house.... After emily herself dies, many years later, it becomes apparent to the townsfolk that emily had slept beside the dead corpse of Homer until she herself died....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner - Emily Grierson's Tragedy

The paper “a rose for emily” by William Faulkner - Emily Grierson's Tragedy” argues that Emily's relations with father contributed to her phobias, inability to fall in love with a man, and madness, which led to the murder of a lover who entered into a relationship with her and then disappeared.... hellip; In the story “a rose for emily” written by William Faulkner and was first published in 1930 issue of the Forum (Rome), the main character, Emily Grierson was initially described in her funeral at the opening of the story....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Author Style in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

The paper "Author Style in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner" discusses that complying with rules for a well-made short story, A Rose for Emily the circumstances and details are carefully constructed to have maximum impact at the time of the plot's resolution.... style in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner William Faulkner is identified as a Southern showcasing the issues and peculiarities of this part of the USA.... a rose for emily is no exception....
1 Pages (250 words) Book Report/Review

Critical theory applied to A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

Most renowned and recommended novel “a rose for emily” by William Faulkner has been an enigmatic and gothic play, which entails a suspense bursting tale of Lady Emily.... These critical theories in the play depict how faulkner several themes life, death, racism, aristocracy, love, grief, traditions, withdrawal from society, oppression, fantasy, self-defence, denial of change and death, and unacceptable future trends together.... Antifeminist theory in the play is easily seen through the opening lines of the play, when faulkner inscribes how men went to the funeral of Miss Emily Grierson due to deferential liking and women only for the sake of inquisitiveness....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner: A New Ending

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner: A New Ending In the final section of this story, the author concludes by explaining what happens after Emily's death.... “a rose for emily.... Works CitedFaulkner, william.... The writer of this essay explains what happens after emily's death.... Because of that morning, as the people gathered at emily's compound to pay their last respects, an elderly man showed up.... e claimed to have been engaged to emily more than thirty years ago, although they never got married....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Love in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

This paper 'Love in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner" focuses on the fact that “A Rose for Emily” is a short story written by William Faulkner which revolves around the occurrences in the life of Emily Grierson.... nbsp; In “a rose for emily,” William Faulkner has portrayed the fact that the way in which an individual loves and expresses his love is dependent upon the way that he has been socially tamed and brought up.... Such was his thought of superiority that he turned down all the proposals that came for emily....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

A research paper over A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

a rose for emily' is centered on a woman who has caused death to her lover but still went ahead and stayed by his decaying body for several years to come.... The main themes of the narration are: resentment, bitterness, generation gap, suppressed forbidden love as well as faulkner manages to brush on several issues that are related to the human life's dark aspects.... It also causes compassion and repulsion at the same time by revealing the face of death (faulkner 670)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us