Essay On A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner

A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
In the short story, "A Rose for Miss Emily", the main character, Emily, is shown as a wealthy
socialite's daughter, southern belle, and easily sympathized by most readers. The townspeople
view her as a strange, lonesome individual; however, there is more to Miss Emily that meets the
eye. Miss Grierson is a victim of circumstance. She was clearly depressed and had definitely had a
case of separation anxiety, along with many other psychological demons. Miss Grierson is not a
cold–hearted villain, but a sad, and misunderstood heroine who just longed to be loved.
During the time period of Faulkner's tale, women were not seen as people. They had no right to
vote, could not own property, or even choose whom they could marry. Women of this time were
basically objects. They had to get married and have children. Emily's father, Mr. Grierson was a
wealthy man from the South. Many suitors were presented Emily for her hand in marriage but her
father always refused. It seems, Mr. Grierson may have denied Emily a marriage with these
suitors as a way to control her. All women got married during this time period, the fact that Emily's
father did not give away her hand essentially meant she would always be single. The man was the
patriarch of the family, therefore, Emily could not marry unless she had her father's blessing. By
the time Emily's father passed away she was not only single, but now fatherless. After his passing,
Emily refused to give up her father's body, claiming he was not
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"A Rose for Emily" The setting is usually represented by the simplicity of a place and time. In "A
Rose for Emily", Faulkner expands setting into something much more. The setting goes far
beyond just the time and place, it involves the people and objects that surround Emily throughout
the story. Faulkner uses those objects and people to show how Emily struggles with accepting
the present and leaving the past behind. In the second paragraph, Faulkner refers to Emily's
house and what it had once looked like. "A big, square frame house that had once been white,
decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the
seventies, set on what had once been the our most select street," describes Faulkner (82). This
shows how at one point in time, the house was beautiful and eclectic. He then goes on to describe
it in it's present day condition, "an eyesore among eyesores" (82). Over time, while the world
around the house was changing, the house itself had not. The house is a major representation of
time and decay. It symbolizes Emily and how, even though the town of Jefferson is evolving, she is
not. She is slowly decaying with the house and becoming less coherent with the present world
around her. Emily is referred to as a fallen monument more then once during the story. Faulkner does
this to show how Emily is a representation of the old south. Even though times have changed, people
in the town still hold Emily to a high standard and respect

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Essay
A Rose for Emily 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...show more content...
When her father died and she had no man to care for her, the town absolved her tax duties. The
people of the town attempted to accomodate her needs by offering their help and sympathy. The
townspeople also tried to be considerate of her eccentricities. They extended her courtesies
because she was a lady with no one save her servant. This caretaking of Emily by the town shows
the opinion of women during that time period. Without a man, Emily was considered somewhat
helpless. Everyone felt as if they needed to help her. Another way that Emily represents females
as dependent and childlike is her reluctance to admit her father's death. When he dies, she refuses
to let anyone remove his body from their house. It's as if she feels she needs his comforting and
protection. Without a man, she is lost. In the end of the story this situation comes up again. The
man who Emily had a relationship with is found dead and decayed in an upstairs bedroom after
her death. There is evidence that she would lay in the bed with the men after his death. This is
another way that Emily is portrayed as needy and weak. She feels she needs a man so badly that
she must keep her lover even after his death. I think most feminists would read this theme into A
Rose for Emily. Perhaps the only way Emily was portrayed as strong or independent is in her
lifestyle. She lives alone with only a servant to give her any service. She does what she wants
without regard to the concerns of

William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily Essay
Rather than stating the true meaning of his works, William Faulkner generally uses symbolism to
portray the depth of his tales. Throughout the story "A Rose For Emily," time is a continuous theme
that is portrayed through symbols. The past, present, and future are represented by different people,
places, and things. One of which such symbols, the main character herself, represents the essence of
the past through her father, her house, and her lover.
Historically, the Grierson name was one of the most respected names in Jefferson. Throughout his
lifetime, Mr. Grierson played various roles in the community to further the reputation of his name
and to earn his family a great deal of...show more content...
Although the law intervened and buried her father, the "crayon portrait of Miss Emily's father"
further emphasized the great effect he had on her lifestyle and mindset.
Miss Emily was rarely seen by the public after the death of her father. She confined herself to her
house to bask in the sentimental memories of her father. Mr. Grierson had bought his family a
house that was located in what, at that time, was one of the most prestigious neighborhoods of
Jefferson. The street they lived was recognized by the community as prominent and seemingly royal
and the houses were grand and picturesque. The "big, squarish frame...had once been white,
decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the
seventies." However, even the "stubborn" Grierson house had been weathered and worn by the lapse
of time.
Even the interior of the house was evidence of the lack of progression. "It smelled of dust and
disuse." The leather of the furniture was cracked, and when the chairs were sat upon, "a faint dust
rose about [the] thighs." The house seemed to be submerged in shadows, refusing to admit the light
of the future.
However, the times began to change and the town moved on toward the future. The houses were
replaced

Essay about A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner
In the story " A Rose for Emily", by William Faulkner the narrator introduces the reader to Emily
Grierson, a sheltered southern woman who while alive struggled immensely with her sanity and
the evolving world around her. Emily's father, a very prestigious man is the cause of Emily's
senseless behavior. He kept her secluded from the rest of the town "We remembered all the young
men her father had driven away..." (Page 3.) If Emily had been allowed to date and socialize with
people her own age would she had turned out differently. Emily Grierson, the only remaining
member of the upper class Grierson family refuses to leave the past behind her even as the next
generation begins to take over. Miss Emily becomes so caught up in the way...show more content...
Or were the Grierson's so powerful that they convinced the Colonel to leave Emily be? The only
relationships Emily ever had during her sheltered life were with men, which is quite ironic
considering the fact that her father forbid males from having any contact with his precious
daughter. There was Tobe her Negro servant, Homer the man she was to marry, and of course her
father. Miss Emily and Tobe seemed to have a personal relationship it was deeper than him just
being her servant. Every one else referred to him as " That Nigger" and the narrator of the story
simply called him " The Negro". When Miss Emily calls Tobe by his first name it proves that she
has a sense of respect for him, he is also the only person(other than Homer) allowed in and out of
her home after her father's death. Tobe proved his loyalty by keeping her darkest secrets ( The
murder of Homer. It was obvious that he knew Homer was locked away in the upper half of the
house because the day of the funeral he exited out the back door and was never seen again. Tobe
knew what they were going to find when the people of Jefferson entered the bedroom) and
remaining by Miss Emily's side until the very end. Miss Emily's father was the main reason behind
her being secluded from the rest of the town. He felt as if no man would ever be good enough for

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner William Faulkner's first published story was "A Rose for
Emily. He wrote many stories after this but one particular that can be compared to this story is a
Light in August. Throughout both of these works Faulkner uses his own events from his home in
Mississippi and focuses on the themes relating to the ruins of the Deep South in the post– Civil War
era. Also in both of these stories he shows how cruel and hard society can be towards individuals
and towards certain races, especially those in love. Most importantly when reading these stories
Faulkner focuses on the gulf between appearance and actuality, and the contrast between public and
private and the private self. The story, light in August,...show more content...
Diminutive Byron Bunch is, like Lena, morally isolated, though by his own choice; he makes no
friends except Hightower, and works almost all the time because he is so afraid of falling into
mischief otherwise. Hightower himself is isolated as an outcast, someone rejected by society––in his
case because he failed in his appointed task as guardian of public standards, by delivering
incoherent sermons while his wife carried on obvious sexual affairs. In comparison A Rose for
Emily, the main character Emily shares similar references towards Lena. Like Lena she is also
morally isolated from her town by choice. She chooses her way life because she dislikes it so
much. Her story is simply a story about a woman who fell in love with someone of a different
background, someone she was not "supposed" to love. All her life all she wanted to do was to
love someone and start a family. This story is also told in flashback and we go through Emily's
life staring with her funeral then telling us about her life. She was troubled with how her father
never gave her freedom and also the love she had for Homer brown, but never got to have.
Possibly this was because of their difference in color, and how in that time the North and the
South were two complete opposites and people did not mix. We find out that because of these
differences and pressure on society's ways Emily killed Homer, in order for her to keep him close

William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" thoroughly examines the life of a strange
woman name Emily Grierson who lives in the town of Jefferson. If we examine "A Rose for
Emily" in terms of formalist criticism, we see that the story dramatizes through setting, plot,
characterization, and symbolism on how Miss Emily's life is controlled by a possessive love she
had for her father and lover. William Faulkner uses Emily's life as the protagonist to examine from a
formalist aspect. In order to analyze Faulkner's story from a formalist perspective, an explanation of
formalist criticism should prove useful in clarifying this criticism as a method of examination.
Rather than relying heavily on facts about the author's life, the historical context surrounding him, or
other external factors, formalist criticism draws its conclusions mainly from a focus on the work
itself. The formalist critic recognizes the key features of the work–style, structure, imagery, tone,
genre, and so on–and how they work together to have a total effect on the reader (2169). Using a
formalist approach to critiquing this story gave me a different way of reading "A Rose for Emily." I
went into reading this piece with the decision already made that I would use a formalist approach.
First I analyzed the imagery Faulkner presented in the story which gives off a setting in the old
south. Words such as "tradition," (1) "duty" (1), "sort of hereditary obligation" (1), "generation," (1)
contribute to

Essay on William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily
William Faulkner's "A Rose for 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.
The works of William Faulkner have had positive effects on readers throughout his career. Local
legends and gossip trigger the main focus of his stories. Considering that Faulkner grew up in
Mississippi, he was very familiar with the ways of the South. This award winning author has been
praised by many critics for his ability and unique style of writing. One of Faulkner's most popular
works, which also was his first short story nationally published in...show more content...
Another prime example of Faulkner's effective writing is his use of narration. Of course, in most
stories the narrator is a key asset. In :A Rose for Emily" Faulkner uses the narrator not only as a
story teller, but as an observer from the crowd as well. The narrator's point of view, which is third
person, had a positive effect on the way a reader views the story. "Through out the story the narrator
uses "we" instead of I revealing to us the way the townspeople judge Emily" (Madden 1988). The
narrator thinks back in time throughout the story remembering particular events that occurred in the
past. This is important to the reader in that it helps aid the understanding of how the townspeople
viewed Emily. The narrator as one of the townspeople viewed Miss Emily as impervious, tranquil,
and perverse. If the story had been narrated by anyone else, it may not have been as easy for the
reader to completely understand. "With this spectator as the narrator, describing the events of the
story through his eyes, one can detect a general impression of Emily" (Madden 1987). The view of
the narrator is beneficial in understanding the things that Emily goes through. Also toward the end
of the story the narrator gives the reader a feeling if sorrow and pity for Emily. It is apparent
Faulkner's use of narration is critical to the enhancement and clarification of the "A Rose for Emily."
After analyzing the

In Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily", Emily lives in a world of her own making. This is because
townspeople in Jefferson holds Miss Emily in such high regards. To them, she symbolizes the
customs of the old south, or what the town Jefferson once was. For Emily and also for the
townspeople time is relative, the past is an ever–present realm in Jefferson. For this reason people
wish to respect Emily and preserve her customs; even if it means intruding into her personal life, or
turning the cheek towards her suspicious actions. In the story Falkner introduces the importance of
preserving the traditions of an old Southern town. This is done through his choice in literary
elements: such as setting, motif, point of view, symbolism, and metaphor....show more content...
All of which were brought upon her because of her father's high standings in the town. Emily's
father was an authoritative man, who was proud of his southern heritage and of his family's status
in the town. As a result, the residents of Jefferson held her to her father's heritage. When Emily first
began her affair with Homer the people of Jefferson were baffled, "how could she– a well–bred
Southern lady– abide an intimate relationship with a day laborer," (Scherting 401). The women of
Jefferson, stuck in their old ways of thinking, believed that Emily was setting a bad example for the
children and that she was disgracing the town with her untasteful relationship. In order to preserve
tradition the women of Jefferson did what they could to end this debauchery. In addition, Faulkner's
choice of first person point of view helps bring to light the theme of preserving tradition. Therefore,
giving the reader the opportunity of experiencing the town's position. For example, the narrator
presents to the reader that Emily bought arsenic, but when asked for what reason she needed it she
remains mute. Soon after Emily buys the arsenic and Homer's disappearance, the narrator explains
that there was a strong stench coming from Emily's house. That night, four men visited Emily's
house and began spreading lime in order to terminate the smell. Although, the narrator does not state
for certain. The men's actions depicted that they

In 1930, William Faulkner wrote a five–part story entitled "A Rose for Emily" that follows the life
of a young woman named Miss Emily Grierson. Faulkner sets his story in the Old South, soon
after the ending of America's Civil War, and represents the decaying values of the Confederacy
(Kirszner & Mandell, 2013a, p. 244). One of these values which the text portrays quite often in "A
Rose for Emily", is the patriarchal custom of society viewing men as having more importance than
their female counterparts. Through a very shallow reading of Faulkner's text, a reader might
observe the seeming independence of Miss Grierson; however, to delve deeper into the text itself
reveals that nearly every aspect of Emily's life, and the description...show more content...
Sequentially, the succeeding occurrence of foreshadowing appears in section three, when Miss
Grierson seeks out "the best kind [of poison]" that the druggist sells, and shortly after the narrator
reveals that Homer "was not a marrying man" (Falkner, 2013, 248). The last incidence, that to some
readers may have been the confirming revelation to their hypothesis, is the disappearance of Homer
Barron entirely–last spotted by a neighbor entering the Grierson front door (Faulkner, 2013, p.249).
At the conclusion of the story, all of these cases of foreshadowing amount to the revelation that
Barron was entombed within Emily's house after he decided not to marry her, and was poisoned
with Arsenic by Miss Emily herself (Faulkner, 2013, pp. 248–250). However, the plot twist that was
not foreshadowed, was the eerie detail that she had been sleeping with his corpse all these years
(Faulkner, 2013, p. 250).
A surface–level reader might conclude that because Miss Grierson has lived most of her life as a
single woman, preceded in death by her father, she is a strong and independent female–free from the
patriarchy that afflicted post–Civil War America. However, to take a feminist perspective upon the
text "A Rose for Emily" reveals a much different conclusion.
To begin our feminist criticism of "A Rose for Emily", it is imperative to note that a male by the
name of William Faulkner authored the text. Faulkner himself lived during the Civil War period in
the

Sometimes you have to accept the fact that certain things will never go back to how they used to
be. Life goes on. A Rose for Emily is a short, gothic story written by William Faulkner and
published in April of 1930. Through researching and/or reading, the readers will learn that gothic
fiction remains to be a genre of literature that associates fiction and horror, death, and in some cases
romance. Faulkner brilliantly demonstrates several themes throughout his short story. With that being
said, we discover themes of tradition, change, loneliness, and acceptance. For instance, the readers
can notice symbolism a lot through Emily's father, the town, and the title alone in William Faulkner's
short story A Rose for Emily. Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. The
story opens with, the protagonist, Miss Emily Grierson's funeral and all the townspeople attending
her service. Faulkner's short story is told...show more content...
The town plays a big part in Faulkner's use of symbolism throughout his short story A Rose

What Is The Change In A Rose For Emily
In the short story, "A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, the reader recognizes the harsh
reality of a woman's inability to open up to a new and ever changing world. Emily Grierson is a
lonely, mysterious woman, who lives with her father in a large, post civil war era home. Emily's
father was a controlling man and sent away each man that tried to court Emily. All Emily inherited
after her father's death was the house. However the town thought she had the right to "cling to that
which had robbed her."(Faulkner 311) Things started to look better for Emily when she met a
handsome northerner. Homer Barron was the head of a work crew from the North. The crew was
hired to pave the sidewalks in Jefferson. Homer and Emily begin to see each...show more content...
The town quickly intervened and removed the body. However reclusive Miss. Emily seemed, not
realizing the full reality of death presented greater problems with her instability, especially since it
ran in her family. . Miss. Emily has a history of instability in her family "old lady Wyatt, her
great–aunt, had gone completely crazy at last, believed that the Griersons held themselves a little
too high for what they really were."(Faulkner 311) A delegation is sent to Miss. Emily's house to
tell her that she has to pay taxes now, regardless of what Colonel Sartoris said. Emily simply tells
them, "See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson."(Faulkner 309) Miss. Emily,
unfortunately, begins to exhibit signs of crazy. She does not seem to comprehend death or the
past because later we find that, ""See Colonel Sartoris." (Colonel Sartoris had been dead almost
ten years)."(Faulkner 310) Colonel Sartoris is no longer alive. Miss. Emily does not know this
information. The reader may perceive Miss. Emily to not know about the death of Colonel Sartoris
as a result of her reclusive behavior and lack of communication with the town and people. However,
when the reader continues the story, he or she finds that Emily has been keeping her dead

Essay On A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
William Faulkner, an American writer, was most famous for his stories which were set in the
American south. One of which, he wrote about a woman's life named Emily Grierson. She was
isolated in her early years which made her somewhat of a mystery to the town. This short story tells
many dark and contradictory situations throughout her life, making it one of the best pieces of
southern gothic literature in America. Southern gothic literature, as defined by Oxford, "is a genre of
southern writing, they often focus on grotesque themes, and damaged, even delusional characters"
(Bjerre). In the short story, "A Rose for Emily,"William Faulkner uses the characteristics of a
southern setting, decay, and outsiders to create a piece of southern gothic...show more content...
Homer Barron, Emily's unsaid boyfriend, is a Northerner. Homer came to the south leading a
group of men in the construction of sidewalks. An outside source writes, "many southern whites
hated these men from the North. They had a special name for them: carpetbaggers" (Jarmul). The
name of carpetbaggers is basically people from the North that took advantage of the South's
unsettled conditions for their own gain right after the Civil War. Soon after Homer came to town,
he started being seen around with Miss Emily Grierson and the townspeople found it quite odd
given her alienation from society in the past. The town views Emily's and the northerner's outings
as scandalous because she is from the old south and Homer is a Yankee. Emily, being a part of the
old south, follows the old south rules, except for when it comes to her relationship. Homer didn't
traditionally court her, it was never even revealed in the story that their relationship was more than a
friendship, it was only implied. This did arouse suspicion with the townspeople. because apparently
Homer was known, around the town, to hang with younger men at a local bar. Faulkner writes, "he
liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk's Club– and that he was
not a marrying man" (454). Homer was never much seen after that, he was only seen going in Miss
Emily's home and never seen leaving

Whitney Allen
English 102
31799
June 24, 2015
"A Rose for Emily"
In every neighborhood there is always that one house that is a mystery to everyone. A house that
everyone wants to know about, but nobody can seem to be able to dig up any answers. It's the type
of place that you would take any opportunity or excuse to get to explore. The littler that is known,
the more the curiosity increases about this mysterious place or person. In the short story "A Rose for
Emily" by William Faulkner, this mysterious person is Emily Grierson, and the curiosity of her
house is a common interest among the whole town. Set aside from the mystery of Emily Grierson
and her home, this short story holds a few mysteries within itself. Who exactly is telling this story,
how in the world are they so knowledgeable about Miss Emily, and how does the "rose" in the title
of this story actually relate and tie in?
"A Rose for Emily" is a short story that is written about Emily Grierson that is written in 5 parts.
In the first part of the story it explains that Emily had passed away and that the people of the town
were gathered at her house for the first time in nearly ten years to grieve her loss. In the second
part of the story, they talk about Emily's father who some people think is this reason why Emily
could never get a boyfriend. In this section they also talk about the passing of her father and how it
really affected her. In the third section the narrator continues to discuss the feeling and heart

Critique Of A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner
Critique of "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
When thinking about American writers from the South, what is one of the first names that come to
mind? Of course, that name would be William Faulkner. "William Faulkner, a major American
twentieth–century author, wrote historical novels portraying the decline and decay of the upper crust
of Southern society (William Faulkner Biography)". He was born on September 25, 1897, in New
Albany, Mississippi. His lineage was that of wealth and stature; however, the demise of his
families' wealth came to an end during the Civil War. In spite of his love of reading, and poetry,
he never graduated from high school. After he left the Canadian Air Force, he spent a portion of
his young adulthood traveling abroad. He began publishing his work in late 1920s and in 1931 he
had successfully published his first notable work. During that time, he married Estelle Oldham and
they settled in Oxford. He wrote novels, poems, and short stories. In 1930, he wrote one of his most
well–known short stories "A Rose for Emily". On July 6, 1962, he died in Oxford with his wife by
his side. In critiquing his short story "A Rose for Emily", the setting, main characters, plot,
symbolism, irony, and historical context will be examined. "A Rose for Emily" is a grotesque
story set in the Deep South in a place called Jefferson, located in the county of Yoknapatawpha,
Mississippi. This setting is very similar to where Faulkner grew up. Much of the story centers

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
William Faulkner at one point stated that if he were offered a chance to choose between grief and
nothing, he would have chosen grief (Volpe 187). He additional clarifies why he would do this
through the story "A Rose for Emily". However, the story is not about Faulkner but a lonely,
selfish and poor woman, Emily Greirson. Emily is incapable of coming to terms with the notion
of death and as a consequence suffers an immense deal of denunciation (Anderson 89). While the
town folk anticipated that she would grieve upon her father's demise, she is not. However, she
goes on to claim that her father is okay and alive. Faulkner's notion of anguish is lucid in this story
as he shows the readers that it is worth acknowledging death than disregarding it through Emily's
life (Claridge 59). Faulkner's story is set in the South, during the racial discrimination and key
political shift epoch. Through "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner was trying to convey a hidden message
on the themes of change and death. Death looms throughout the narrative as the narrator narrates
the start of Emily's funeral. Emily disregards death when her exceeding authoritative father passes
on. "Emily met up with them at the entrance, clothed` characteristically and with no hint of sorrow
on her face. She told them that her father had not passed away" (Faulkner 2). This depicts Emily's
attempt to flout death by clinging to her father's cadaver and caring for it as if he was still alive and
how she was

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
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. Faulkner's use of southern gothic
writing style helps the reader build a mental depiction of Miss Emily. When the town sent their
ambassadors to discuss the taxes that were owed, Faulkner described Miss Emily as "bloated, like
a body long submerged in motionless water" (2182). This description gives the reader the sense
that the character is not well. Faulkner's description that Miss Emily looked bloated achieves the
desired effect on the reader to show how hideous she appears. This graphic description, combined
with the author's depressing description of the parlor (2182), makes the reader think of death. The
reader gets the sense of being in a funeral parlor which helps to strengthen Faulkner's narrative.
Faulkner continues his southern gothic writing style when the story goes back to an earlier time in
Miss Emily's life. Faulkner

A Rose for Emily– Rhetorical Analysis William Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford,
Mississippi. He wrote short stories, plays, essays, and screenplays. He is mainly known for his
creative imaginary stories that were based on Lafayette County, Mississippi where he spent most
of his life. Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature and especially
Southern literature. He spent majority of his childhood years sitting around listening to his elders
and family members telling stories that included war stories of the Civil war and slavery. "A Rose
for Emily was his first story that was published in a major magazine called the Forum." When the
short story was first published, it didn't do that well in the...show more content...
In her mind she is wanting to find someone who she could spend the rest of her life with but
Homer is just wanting a fling and not a commitment. This is something that the citizens of
Jefferson will worry about, as they feel that they must look after Emily since her father passing.
The townspeople are like her parents and feel like it is in their best interest to look after her. This
could make the reader show sympathy for Emily, rather than disliking her. The writer also
conveyed logos through the story. Faulkner used logos when he reveals Emily's logic which is
twisted in many ways. Emily's worries that Homer would forsake her and this lead to a
development of killing him. This was a reasonable progression. She figured that if she killed him
she could keep his body and have him forever and being dead he would be there. Faulkner used a
setting and time to show Emily had a hard time accepting change and moving on with her life.
They story took place right after the Civil War. Most African Americans were loathed and
discriminated but Emily was relived from her father. Money showed a social statement back then
and Emily's father had money. Since her father loaned the town money she had become a well
appreciated woman even after his passing. In stated in the story, "she had chosen not to come out of
the house and when the townspeople had saw her they seen a different Emily." As stated in the book

The Structure of A Rose for Emily William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a story that uses
flashbacks to foreshadow a surprise ending. The story begins with the death of a prominent old
woman, Emily, and finishes with the startling discovery that Emily as been sleeping with the
corpse of her lover, whom she murdered, for the past forty years. The middle of the story is told in
flashbacks by a narrator who seems to represent the collective memory of an entire town. Within
these flashbacks, which jump in time from ten years past to forty years past, are hidden clues which
prepare the reader for the unexpected ending, such as hints of Emily's insanity, her odd behavior
concerning the deaths of loved ones, and the evidence that the...show more content...
When the people of the town try to explain away her odd behavior, they "did not say she was
crazy then" (paragraph 28). This implies that although at that time she wasn't considered insane, and
although the narrator never states so directly, there will come a time when she will be. An
important idiosyncrasy of Emily's that will help the reader to understand the bizarre finale of the
story, is her apparent inability to cope with the death of someone she cared for. When deputies were
sent to recover back taxes from Emily, she directed them to Colonel Sartoris, an ex–mayor that had
told her she would never have to pay taxes, and a man that had been dead for ten years. Years
before this incident, however, after her father had died, she continued to act has if he had not, and
only allowed his body to be removed when threatened with legal action. Considering the fate of
her lover's corpse, one suspects she would have kept her father's corpse also, had the town not
known of his death. Littered throughout the story is evidence that the murder took place. When
Emily takes up with Homer Barron, a man whom the narrator makes clear was not the marrying
kind; rumors start to fly about the two at a time when it was not considered proper for a man and
woman to live together. The town, her relatives, and the Baptist minister disapproved of the
relationship, and Emily was in danger of loosing Homer. A year after the relationship begins, and the
pressures to either marry

A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner Essay
William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" narrates the life of Emily Grierson as seen by
the villagers. Controlled by her father and her family background, Emily is a woman deprived of
the opportunity to live life at its fullest and experience human passions such as love. Furthermore,
she lacks a "sense of self" that causes her confusion and makes it difficult for her to form
relationships. Due to the lack of identity and isolation presented all throughout her life, Emily
suffers from psychological problems related to schizophrenia. Identity begins forming during the
adolescent stage of life (Donovan). This stage, referred to as the Identity vs. Role Confusion
stage, is the time period in life when an adolescent develops a "sense of self" and a "role" in life
(Donovan). If, however, this stage is hindered, the adolescent suffers from confusion (Donovan).
Emily is a victim to such confusion. She is torn between living up to her family's background or
pursuing what makes her happy. However, due to the lack of a mother figure and the ever–present
father figure, Emily embraces a foreclosure identity. Foreclosure identity is characterized as taking
on the values, beliefs and expectations of the parent without knowing why (Donovan). Typically,
people with this identity are obedient and cannot function without rules, but are generally unhappy,
lack initiative, have poor communication skills, and suffer an inner rebellion (Donovan). All of these
characteristics

Essay On A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner

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Essay On A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner