...husbands. Women had many obligations and very few choices. Their main purpose in life is basically to find a husband, reproduce, and then spend the rest of their lives pleasing and/or serving him. However, if a woman were to decide to remain single she would be ridiculed and pitied by the community, in this case an example of this would be in the short story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner. Faulkner examines the expectations of Southern values of women. Faulkner also reveals a concerned community that fails to understand the complexities of the main character, whom to be Miss Emily Grierson....
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...The short story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner is about a young women named Emily who has a hard time falling in love because her father would drive the men in her life away. Once her father passed on, Emily met a man named Homer Barron. She fell deeply in love with him. When Emily passed away, her relatives found a disturbing surprise in her upstairs bedroom. Although both the short story and the movie were entertaining and engaging, I prefer the movie more because of its attention to the relationship between Emily and Tobe, the actors did a great job portraying the characters, and its easier to understand. Was Emily and Tobe in a relationship? Emily was never close to anyone except for her dad and Tobe. When Emily and Homer went...
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...The Power of Symbolism Used in Faulkner's A Rose for Emily In 1897, William Faulkner was brought up in Oxford, Mississippi. To be wealthy in those days of the south (or not), meant the difference between whether one was worthy of praise, or not. Faulkner's family was no longer high on the wealth "berth," but it was still respected due to the honor it possessed. Southerners placed a wealth of stock in big positions in life, as well as being a war hero. Faulkner's father and grandfather fit the bill perfectly. His father was treasurer of the university of Mississippi, in oxford. Before this, his grandfather had acquitted himself admirably by becoming a hero of the civil war. The point is made that even though the family no longer occupied...
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...Comparative Literature Paper Selfishness and revenge are woven through “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner like a fine silk thread, supporting the theme of death in each. In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the cause of death is never obviously revealed but lightly hinted upon Emily as the cause. “The Cask of Amontillado,” a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, the cause of death is revealed but no one knew the cause of Fortunato’s disappearance. These stories contain many differences as well as similarities ranging from imagery, symbolism, theme, and tone. The recognizable commonality of the two is the theme of death. Each of these stories portrays death, or murder, as a result of vengeance, revenge and betrayal. “The Cask of Amontillado” deals with the death of Fortunato and “A Rose for Emily” deals with the death of Homer and Emily. William Faulkner never admits that Emily is the cause of Homer’s death but gives the audience clues that suggest Emily was indeed responsible. Emily’s death seemed to be of natural causes (Faulkner, 1931, p 531). Edgar Allan Poe, in “The Cask of Amontillado” tells the audience of Montresor’s plot of revenge and murder of Fortunato. Betrayal and revenge are obvious throughout both stories. In “A Rose for Emily,” Emily first betrayed Homer after he did not take her for his wife after the whole town saw the two of them together. In “The Cask of Amontillado”...
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...William Faulkner once said, “Given a choice between grief and nothing, I'd choose grief” (Brainyquote). He further explains why he’d do this in “A Rose for Emily”; although the story is not about him, he details the loneliness and selfishness of a poor woman, Miss Emily. Miss Emily is unable to grip the idea of death and suffers great deals of denial. After the death of her father, the townspeople expected her to be in a state of grief but alas she is not. Instead she proceeds to say that her father is very well with her, alive. William Faulkner’s idea of grieving is clear in this story because he shows his audience that it is better to accept death than to ignore it through the accounts of Miss Emily’s journey. William Faulkner’s story takes place in the South, during a time period of racial discrimination and major political change. By using reader response criticism, a reader can analyze “A Rose for Emily” through the aspects of the secret held within the story, race found through anthropology, and gender found through anthropology. To begin with, one can analyze “A Rose for Emily” by examining the underlying hidden message found within the story. The hidden message that William Faulkner tried to convey in his story was the themes of death and change. Death looms through the story from the beginning right on through to the end as the narrator begins describing the beginning of Miss Emily’s funeral. Miss Emily herself chooses not to accept the fate of death when her extremely...
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...Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. In “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner effectively uses symbolism to illustrate the fading glory of the Old South giving away to the progress of reconstruction and the new century. It also plays a role in understanding the whole meaning of the story and why Emily is a tragic figure as opposed to an evil person. The gray strand of hair found on the pillow next to Homer Barron’s corpse is a symbol that represents lost love and perverse action of Miss Emily. The hair represents Miss Emily’s determination to live how she wants while disregarding anyone’s approval. Her eccentric actions proves that she lives by her own moral code, that whatever it takes to be happy is welcome, even if it is murder. “What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt...” (Faulkner 327). The strand of hair stands as the remnant of life that is left to decay, just like Homer Barron’s body (Getty 231). The lime that is sprinkled around Miss Emily’s house is another symbol in the story. Lime is a white powder used to cover the smell of decomposing bodies. The townspeople go to Miss Emily’s house to sprinkle lime in her yard when...
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...Sorrowful Southerner” “They rose when she 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.” ((Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, edited by Michael Meyer, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 78.) Accordingly, William Faulkner flawlessly describes Miss Emily in the story “A Rose for Emily” as a wealthy, southern woman with a duty to stand against the North during the Civil War era. Accompanied by her Negro, Miss Emily is curiously watched by the townspeople due to her mysterious behavior. Following this, the end of Miss Emily’s life is when her dark secrets become exposed...
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...Has anyone ever looked at an old plantation home and thought, oh that’s creepy? Miss Emily Griersons home in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” fits the description of an old creepy home. Living in the town of Jefferson, after her father’s death, Miss Emily was left with nothing else but his home. By her actions portrayed in the book, she refuses to move on to a new generation and she wishes to live just the way she always has. Because she is well known in the town, it makes her the center of gossip amongst the townspeople. Her life she is living in the home is an astonishing mystery. The townspeople are sad for her as they make assumptions that she would take her own life, and then happy for her as they assume she has married the love of...
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...Analysis A Rose for Emily: William Faulkner William Faulkner first published “A Rose for Emily” in 1930; however, this short story resides in a small southern town during the post-Civil War period. During this age in time, the Unites States was going through major political changes. But Ms. Emily was not ready for change. Faulkner uses repugnant imagery and a unique narration style to explore a woman’s inability to cope with death and change throughout the community and within herself (Perry 40). Growing up in the Grierson family, Emily knew her family was powerful and popular, and she was fortunate enough to live surrounded by love and luxury. Emily’s father loved her dearly and only wanted the best for her, but most of the time he was a little over protective and perceived to control his daughter’s life. He felt as if no man could ever be good enough for his one and only. The Griersons were definitely different from every other household in the small southern town of Jefferson, and Emily’s father made sure everyone knew of this. Since Emily’s father was a tyrant throughout her life, she rarely got the chance to enjoy anything outside of the Grierson residence (Watkins 509). The early agony that Emily had to tolerate created a permanent emotional cripple to her life. Emily most likely did not have a concrete idea of how a real family should function and cooperate, especially with the absence of a mother figure. Other than the Grierson family servants, Emily lived isolated...
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...nightmares, and death. Although in some stories, it also explores unmentionable topics such as murder, suicide, and incest. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a story of a spinster woman who has killed her lover and lain for years beside his decaying body. The story deals with a murder caused by possessive love, and it elucidates the face of death which results in repulsion and compassion. “A Rose for Emily” represents Southern Gothic literature through descriptions of Emily, her house, necrophilia, and the theme of death. To begin with, the narrator portrays Emily Grierson as a once prominent member of the community. However, after the death of her father, she is pitied and often irritating, demanding to live life on her own terms. In the beginning of the story, the author describes her as looking “bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, [look] like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough” (Faulkner 53). Being isolated from the outside world since her father died and Homer Barron, her lover, went missing, Emily becomes a muted and mysterious figure. She begins to enforce her own sense of law and conduct, such as when she refuses to pay her taxes or state her purpose for buying the poison. Lu Ying Qian of Baidu Library states that Emily “was an unrealistic stubborn woman” (Qian 6). She continued to ignore the law, refuse to pay taxes, and not dispose of the dead. Emily’s eccentric...
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...For example, in the beginning of “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner uses the pronoun “we” without clarification, then changes to “they,” again without clarification. Nebeker discusses that the subjects change from the old generation, which is a representation of the old Southern ideologies, to the new generation, which is a representation of the new Northern ideologies. In addition to Nebeker, Palmer agrees that “Faulkner uses partial and flawed subjects who demonstrate their own inadequacy in the face of the forces of history (Palmer 121)” Palmer is referring to the abstract subjects, like the old and new generations Falkner alludes to, that are flawed in ideologies and have existed in history. This excerpt, “So she vanquished them, horse and foot,...
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...3/29/14 Miss Emily “The past is never dead, it’s not even past.” In his story “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner personifies this quote. William Faulkner is one of the most influential writers in southern literature, if not U.S. history. He spent most of his time in his home state of Mississippi in the northern counties of Lafayette, Holly Springs, and Marshall County which play a major role in his literature. Almost every book or short story he writes is set in Yoknapatawpha County, which some believe is based on his home county of Lafayette, which is where he spent most of his life. Because of this most of his books have a southern aspect of them and represent to some extent southern culture and hospitality. One of his stories with the most success is “A Rose For Emily.” "A Rose for Emily" is a gothic tale set in the American south. To first understand William Faulkner and his stories, one must understand what the term “Gothic” means. Gothic isn't just a term used in literature but in architecture, and even in art. Generally something is labeled “Gothic” when it is something that inspires dread in you, or a lesser sense or being. In its literal sense in literature it means a story that uses themes like gloom, the grotesque, and the supernatural. It is also usually based in a dark or dreary scene. In the story “A Rose for Emily” it encompasses all three of these themes and settings. First lets look at the setting in how it relates to the...
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...a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color.” This quote by William S. Merwin exemplifies grief, which is portrayed throughout the course of the short story “A Rose for Emily,” but with an uncanny twist. In William Faulkner’s short story Emily, the main character. She is an old woman living in a town called Jefferson with a southern upbringing. Devastated and alone after her father’s death, she is an object of pity for the townspeople with the only comfort coming from her servant Tobe. After a life of having potential suitors rejected by her father, she spends time after his death with a newcomer, Homer Barron. As they continue their relationship the chances of his marrying her decrease as the years pass. As the connection dies off Emily isn’t seen except for the occasional glimpse of her in the windows. Once she has passed the townspeople arrive to the conclusion to enter the house, ultimately finding something troubling. In “A Rose for Emily,” a rose for Emily, the strand of hair, and decay are symbols that provide a strong representation of grief throughout the short story demonstrating the prominence of the passing. The first symbol that becomes recognized throughout “A Rose for Emily” is in the title itself. The rose for Emily is very symbolic for the reason that it represents the love that Emily was never able to capture and something more unsubstantiated. This caused for her to become a mysterious figure who changed from a vibrant and hopeful young girl to a cloistered...
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...William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily”, is an example of how a small town’s inhabitants can shape the character of one woman based on gossip. The narrator, comprised primarily of the many voices of the town’s people with little input from Miss Emily, draw their own conclusions about her, a women who was a sort of living relic in the town that was progressing into modern times without her. Since the many voices of the town’s people comprise the narrator, their speculations shape Miss Emily’s character, her reasons for being a recluse and their reasons for avoiding confronting her. While Miss Emily is the main focus of Faulkner’s short story, no insight into her personal feelings or thoughts are ever revealed. The depth of her character is left up to the assumptions of the town’s people. She is always talked about at a distance which leaves her character flat. Even when the issue of taxes arises and the sheriff sends two men to talk to Miss Emily she is described in a morbid way; “her skeleton was small and spare…she looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water…with that pallid hue.”(Faulkner 788). Just with physical description alone the town’s people can manipulate Miss Emily into an uninviting women. Miss Emily’s reclusive behavior doesn’t sit well with the inhabitants of the town. They’re in the habit of socializing and being a part of each other’s personal lives. In contrast, Miss Emily does not share in the lives of the...
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...Senses in “A Rose for Emily” “A Rose for Emily” is one of a several short stories written by the novelist, William Faulkner, who is well known after winning the Nobel Prize in literature. The protagonist in “A Rose for Emily” is an eccentric spinster, Emily Grierson, who locks herself in a house after her father’s death. With time passing, she meets a foreman of the construction company, Homer Barron, to whom she finally opens up. However, threatened to leave her for another man, Emily Grierson buys arsenic, which the townspeople believe she will use to commit suicide. Nevertheless, Emily uses the arsenic to kill Homer Barron and then keeps his dead body in one of her locked rooms until she dies at the age of seventy-four. William Faulkner presents the story with an illustration of various senses. A visual image is one of the author’s senses in the story that helps readers to imagine a picture in their minds. The senses of touch and hearing are also extremely supportive in “A Rose for Emily” to understand and imagine the sequence of the story. William Faulkner, the author of “A Rose for Emily,” presents the story with a sense of sight so that it is easier for readers to visualize a picture in their minds. One of his images is the big house that Emily Grierson lived in. William Faulkner explains: It was 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...
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