A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner

The grandmother is an old woman with deep southern roots. Her constant need to look like a “lady” emerges from her self-righteous attitude and ambition to be perceived as a member of the high-class society. The grandmother’s desire for an elite identity can be found in her attire; this excerpt from the text describes such

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

On September 25, 1897, William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi. He stands as one of the most preeminent American writers of the twentieth century. His literary reputation included poetry, novels, short stories, and screenplays. Faulkner won two Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature. “A Rose for Emily” is a short fascinating story written by William Faulkner and it was his first short story published in a national magazine. The story involved an old woman named Emily Grierson, the daughter of a rich man that was considered a hero in the town where they lived. The story takes place in the fictional Town of Jefferson, Mississippi during and after the civil war between the Northerners and Southerners. Emily’s childhood was never easy; her father was always overprotective with her even when she was a grown woman. Charmaine Mosby an English Professor of Western Kentucky University in his work analysis of “A Rose for Emily” writes, “Miss Emily Grierson had been cut off from most social contact and all courtship by her father.” This was the principal reason why Emily Grierson was always a lonely soul.

Among many twentieth-century writers who have attempted to write about murder and mystery, William Faulkner’s ability to create an uncomfortable mood is incomparable to any other. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral." In the introduction of A Rose for Emily, the pages are immediately infested with the theme of death, which brings the reader to question why this story has such a depressing tone upon separating the front cover from its pages. Making the solemn mood such an integral part of this piece not only provokes thought within the reader, but also gives a sense of security. It is clearly spelt out that the author is trying to make the audience feel a certain way. This specificity so early on in the piece makes his writing more believable and settling into the discomforting tone. A Rose for Emily is a poetic collage of psyche solutes meant to provoke life-altering observations and internal search.

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” it is clear how Emily’s gender affects how the individuals in the town perceive her. Emily’s gender particularly affects how men understand her. Throughout the whole piece Emily is seen as a helpless individual who is lonely and has suffered losses throughout her life. When the reader reaches the end of the story the actions that Emily has taken is unexpected because of the way she is perceived by the narrator. In the beginning of the story, when the whole town was at her funeral and the men were discussing her life, none of the townspeople ever say anything negative about Emily. The men went to the funeral because they saw Emily as a fallen monument to the town. The narrator discusses how the town felt that Emily had become a tradition for them to take care of her. The narrator even points out how she did not have to pay taxes. This clearly shows how women are perceived in this town. Women are seen as unable to take care of themselves and as innocent humans. The way the narrator talks about Emily gives the reader the idea that Emily could never hurt anyone, because of this idea the reader is shocked at the end of the story. The feminist view of Emily allows the reader to be shocked by the ending of the story and it also allows the reader to see the way masculinity is understood in this piece.

As the family is driving along, the grandmother awakens from a nap and recalls “an old plantation that she had visited in this neighborhood once when she was a young lady” (189). This recollection happens while the family is driving through the town of Toomsboro, GA. The grandmother is extremely manipulative and selfish and coaxes the family into visiting the old plantation by lying to them with the possibility of finding hidden treasure. The name of the town is only a slight indication of the terrible tragedy that is yet to come. It is no

Stubborn and a bit unstable, Emily Grierson is the main character of William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily “. Emily is a prime example of a flat character because she seldom changes throughout the whole story. Emily acts as if nothing has changed over the years. In the town of Jefferson, It’s as if time went to a stood still. She shows this flat affect throughout the story in many instances. For example, like her refusing to pay her taxes, not keeping up with the maintenance of her father’s home after his passing. So much so that the home was referred to as “an eyesore among eyesores, still standing among the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps (Faulkner, p. 121).

Miss Emily was an important character in the town of Jefferson. For some people she represented the old days when her family had a reputation and was highly respected. On the other hand, “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town…” (Faulkner), for other she was a burden to the city. After political changes her exemption from paying taxes become an issue. Her status didn’t mean anything anymore and she was supposed to be treated like everybody else. However, the fact that she was the last member of the great family made her someone special and after few attempts of sending her tax notices, even a new generation of towns officials decided to let

The poor conditions of house show readers that Emily Grierson’s hometown and Grierson as a person represents the old south. Grierson’s house

Although they do not have much money, the mother never allows herself to forget the high status of her old relatives: ‘“Your great-grandfather was a former governor of this state . . . Your grandfather was a prosperous landowner. Your grandmother was a Godhigh.”’ Her family’s home, which was once a symbol of their prosperity, now had “worn rugs and faded draperies.” The home’s decrepit condition is comparable to the state that her family’s high stature is now in. In essence, the home as well as the old life which she is clinging to is now gone, and what is left is rotted stairways and “Negroes living in [the house].”

Faulkner continues his southern gothic writing style when the story goes back to an earlier time in Miss Emily’s life. Faulkner

The short stories ‘Greenleaf’ by Flannery O’Connor and ‘A Rose for Emily’ by William Faulkner tell the the story of isolated individuals living in the historical south. In these stories, Faulkner and O’Connor tell of the unique breed of people that the South produces. The authors create seemingly unrelatable stories with outrageous extremes that are almost comical in their absurdity. These Authors also showcase the typical southern ideal of tradition as it manifests itself into the Southern person’s pride in their appearance, religious beliefs and kindness. In addition, O’Connor and Faulkner trifle with the concept of time. Faulkner 's southern town in ‘A Rose for Emily’ seems to be stuck in a sort of limbo as does Ms. Emily, and in

For example, without knowledge of the setting, the reader might be confused about the actions of characters because the story is set in a different time. Faulkner mentions that the mayor of Jefferson “fathered the edict that no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron…” (96). Despite the Civil War coming to an end and the slaves being freed, racism is still prevalent in the South and influences the actions of the characters. In addition, the townspeople were very displeased that Miss Emily was involved with Homer Barron, a Northerner. Faulkner writes, “At first we were glad that Miss Emily would have an interest, because the ladies all said ‘Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer’” (98).

The Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. It was a war that divided the United States in half: the Union and the Confederacy. After the father’s death, Miss Grierson met a Yankee from the North, Homer Barron. Mr. Homer was working outside of her house doing some construction on the pavement. There was rumor of Miss Grierson being interested in the “Northerner, a day laborer”. She went to the pharmacy and asked for the deadliest poison they had. Miss Emily ended up murdering the Yankee, Homer Barron. After all Miss Grierson was recognized as a fallen monument. She had gained affection and respect from her community.

The story begins at Miss Emily’s funeral, where the whole town shows up to say goodbye to their past treasure. Emily is a symbol for the past days and her life was a mystery, which is what made her so interesting. The story consists of flashbacks from an unknown narrator and tells the tale of Miss Emily and the towns different perspectives of her. Faulkner’s short story is like a “time machine…[it] is about the past and Miss Emily’s tenacious clinging to the past”(Clausius). However, the fact that the whole town shows up to her funeral means that they too can’t let go of her or the past. The town is almost haunted by Miss Emily; although, the narrator is sympathetic towards her. At her funeral, the narrator notes that Emily has been “. . .a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the