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A Rose For Emily Symbolism Essay

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Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner In the story “A Rose for Emily”, Emily is an old fashioned southern woman, who has a secret that the town does not discover until after her death. Faulkner uses symbolism to help paint a picture within the story and also help to identify the timeframe within the story. Faulkner also uses symbolism to provide clues to hidden meanings within the story. The description of the house, the use of the arsenic on her fiancé and the silver hair on the pillow are all examples of the symbolism in the story. The house is an example of the old fading ways of the south, much like Emily herself. The house can be viewed as an extension of Emily and the way the world perceives her. The house is described as old and decaying but also as isolated from the rest of the town. Emily is older and has isolated herself from everyone in the town much like the house. The house and Emily were a mystery to the townspeople. Both Emily and the house appear trapped in the ways of the past while the world around them progresses. …show more content…
Emily does not answer instead just looks him in the eye. The pharmacist sends a delivery boy out with the arsenic because he clearly cares for Emily and cannot understand what he saw in her eyes. The townspeople suspect Emily will use it on herself because her fiancé is not a gentleman. Emily actually uses it on her fiancé but the question remains whether it was because he was mean or that he was going to end the engagement. The arsenic is labeled for rats and in the south a fiancé backing out of an engagement would have been labeled as a rat again showing

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