Essay on the Structure of William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

While one of the most traditional interpretations of “A Rose for Emily” is the variety of meanings for the “rose” presented in the title and how the “rose” fits in with the story. Laura Getty states in her article many varied perspectives that many could ponder when identifying what the “rose” stands for. She states many possible theories that depict what the “rose” means, including theories of other writers that help support her own theory and also that adds another way that most might not consider at first. Most of the interpretations of the rose are all focused on the “internal elements” (Getty 231) rather than the actual rose itself. Getty theorizes about certain characters, buildings, anything that symbolizes a rose in the story as

For forty years Emily Grierson has slept beside the physical remains of her dead lover. "In her bedroom, Emily and the dead Homer have remained together as though not even death could separate them."(Kazin 162) ."She is also a victim of her lover who would leave her", but she is driven "by her passion which would kill him rather then let him leave."(Pierce 1362) ."When his love is gone, and she has killed him, she holds on to her illusion of their love."( Pierce 1362) . "But even in the story, the intended gothic touch

Perhaps Miss Emily had wished it that way. Faulkner tells of her two cousins, who come at her death notice at once, the same cousins who visited when she was courting Homer Barron. It was the cousins who had been there when she was ordering men’s things, giving the town belief that Miss Emily and Homer had wed. That she had changed the proclaimed bachelor’s opinion on nuptials.

Homer entered her life by courting her publicly; by not wanting to marry her, he would have robbed her of her dignity and high-standing in the community. The ladies of the town felt that Miss Emily was not setting a good example for the "younger people" and their affair was becoming a "disgrace to the town" (75). The traditions, customs, and prejudices of the South doomed this affair from the beginning. Emily could not let Homer live, but she could not live without him. He was her only love. When she poisoned him with arsenic, she believed he would be hers forever.

When a person has only been taught dysfunctional love, it is all too often that this is the only kind of love they will ever experience. In “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner explores an unorthodox relationship between an aristocratic southern lady named Miss Emily Grierson, and a blue-collar northern fellow named Homer Barron. The narrator, who likely represents the townspeople, describes Miss Emily’s unusual father in detail. Because of this illuminating description, the reader is able to begin to understand the strange dynamic Mr. Grierson and his daughter share. The story reveals how an over-controlling parent can negatively

“We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will. “Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days.” While the corpse of her father remained in the house for three days while Miss Emily refused to accept the her father was dead and that she was now “left alone and a pauper,” she had no idea what to do now that she was alone. She did not know how to accept the fact that she could now make her own decisions. “So when she got to be thirty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly but vindicated; even with insanity in the family she wouldn’t have turned down all of her chances if they had really materialized.”

William Faulkner has done a wonderful work in his essay “A Rose for Emily.” Faulkner uses symbols, settings, character development, and other literary devices to express the life of Emily and the behavior of the people of Jefferson town towards her. By reading the essay, the audience cannot really figure out who the narrator is. It seems like the narrator can be the town’s collective voice. The fact that the narrator uses collective pronoun we supports the theory that the narrator is describing the life of “Miss Emily” on behalf of the townspeople. Faulkner has used the flashback device in his essay to make it more interesting. The story begins with the portrayal of Emily’s funeral and it moves to her past and at the end the readers realize that the funeral is a flashback as well. The story starts with the death of Miss Emily when he was seventy-four years old and it takes us back when she is a young and attractive girl.

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.

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a town's obsession.  The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople.  They witness Miss Emily's life, her father's death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover.  The theme of death runs throughout this tale, which is understandable considering the events that take place in the story.  Faulkner uses foreshadowing to foretell events that will transpire later in the story.  Because of this foreshadowing, a reader

In the short story, "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, a woman whose father passed away is set in her ways and has a caretaker named Tobe, which is the only person in her life taking care of her. Her name is Emily Grierson. The Grierson family was at one time a very wealthy family; the entire town seemed to look up to them. Due to poverty problems, some of the Grierson family moved away leaving Emily and her father behind in the town. Although Emily would be considered a traditionalist, hoping for the south to retain its old ways, William Faulkner criticizes her stagnation, and in her death, leaves readers with hope for a new South.

Due to her lack of involvement in the city for many years, she did not realize that the Colonel had been dead for almost 10 years now. Brooks Jr. and Warren argue that Emily is a “pathological case”, in that she has no idea what has been going on in the city where she lives for the past 10 years. In the early days, Emily Grierson’s family had high standings in the city. Her father was a wealthy man of the city for many years, who loaned money to the town. While he was in high standings of the city, Miss. Emily did not have to pay her taxes to the town. Some years later, Miss. Emily’s father passed away. “…she denies to the townspeople for three days that he is dead” (689). After the passing of her dad and

There have been many short stories written about life during the Reconstruction era after the civil war. Some stories, even though they are fictitious, are based upon and often mirror actual events that have taken place. The most relevant stories tell of lives and families that have been separated due to war, and how the remnants were left the task of rebuilding. As towns changed, people were somewhat reluctant to let go of past beliefs and what they felt like were entitlements. Promises made to the family of Miss Emily Grierson are only a small part of her life as written about in William Faulkner’s short fictional story “A Rose for Emily” (Faulkner 298). The relationship between Miss

The townspeople felt bad for Emily and thought the reason for her craziness was because her family had a history of it. Emily also waits three days before revealing the death of her father. Emily allows the dead body of her father to lie in her home rotting away. Another crazy action that Emily does is when she goes to the pharmacy to purchase “rat poison”. When Emily goes to buy the arsenic she doesn’t tell the druggist what exactly she is going to use it for, but stares him down making him feel uncomfortable. “Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up” (213). One of the most extreme actions Emily performs is being responsible for Homer Barron’s death. But, after fully reading the story the reader understands that Emily not only kills Homer but sleeps with his corpse. “What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay… Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair” (215) There the reader’s thought of Emily sleeping with the dead body and her psychotic tendencies is confirmed.

Emily?s life has been overtaken by time. And she has halted the passage of time. The passed passage of time creates a tension in her life. At first she cannot accept the death of her father. After that she creates tension in the community by refusing to pay the taxes. When the aldermen go to her house to collect the taxes, she refuses to pay and tells ?I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained to me.? (Charters 170) The halted passage of time causes her not to even recognize Colonel?s death. Emily also ends up killing; her only love Homer Barron due to her stubbornness. And ironically, preserves Homer Barron?s dead body for 30 years in her house. Emily?s father kept her sheltered longer than she was needed. When she was released, she was under the burdens of relationships and love. When she knew Homer would leave her, she killed him and kept him forever.

When everyone had though Miss Emily had found love, he disappears. She seemed to be very happy with him. They would ride around town in a Buggy. His name was Homer Barron. In the story it doesn’t imply that they were an actual couple. As we discussed in class Homer might even have been homosexual. If this or anything else was the cases were Homer couldn’t be with Miss Emily her desperation for that companion made her do an outrageous passionate act. She murders him to keep him with her forever. I think she thinks she has finally found someone she doesn’t want to let go. She feels like she needs this and doesn’t realize that it is out of this world. She doesn’t recognize that she has lost her mind. By not only living but sleeping with a dead corpse.