Rose For Emily

In the short story A Rose for Emily written by William Faulkner, readers are immersed in the narrative of a supposed town member who describes the impact that the recent death of an old woman has had upon their small community. In the narrative, readers are taken on a journey through the life of Miss Emily, an old, lonely woman who is seemingly frozen in her own timeframe. As the story unfolds, readers learn about the various tragedies Emily encountered in her lifetime such as the sudden death of her controlling father as well as her alienation from other family members that leaves her utterly alone following his death. Audiences also learn about events that happened throughout Emily’s life that both molded her as a person and aided in shaping her reputation around the town. From her controversial relationship with a construction worker named Homer Barron to her suspicious purchase of arsenic at the local drug store, there is no question that Emily lived under the constant scrutiny of her fellow townspeople. After reading the initial sentences, it can be concurred that this story doesn’t simply describe the life of an old, questionably insane woman, but also the story of the age-old battle between old and new. Through symbolism and an artful arrangement of the events described, Faulkner is able to meticulously weave a tale of the clash between newer and older generations’ views and standards.

1. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” creates a sense of psychological intensity that provides a vision of mindful wonder in the eyes of suspenseful character progression. 2. Faulkner’s story remains an influence of mental stableness in the remnant of love, and the actions taken to receive what is wanted. 3. Written in 1930, “A Rose for Emily” suspends a rare idea of, “Can “killing for love” still be considered love, or is it something quite different, something dark and perverse” (Carver 497). 4. “A Rose for Emily” customs the use of imagery to symbolize character aspects and the way their minds are at work. 5. “Faulkner’s story focuses on the interaction of tradition, madness, and love” (Carver 497). 6. “A Rose for Emily begins with the funeral of Emily Grierson, and describes a first-person encounter of the events taking place. 7. As the climax continues to obtain sentimental value and curiosity, the strange behaviors of Emily and Homer begin to set foot into the readers path. 8. Encountering Emily’s abnormal actions towards the townspeople and Homer, the story focuses on the mystery of her lover’s death, and the actions leading into the horrible discovery. 9. The short story of Emily and surrounding aspects of her life represents a rare encounter of both love, and death. 10. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” forms an act of suspense that is sustained within the initial plot, and character analysis of the individuals throughout the mysterious storyline of gender

Miss Emily's relationship with her father is a key factor in the development of her isolation. As she is growing up, he will not let anybody around his daughter,

SHORT STORY LITERARY ANALYSIS PAPER PLAN: INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH In William Falkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily,” Falkner presents the theme of many of his popular works: the representation of the influence of tradition’s longevity versus change in the perspective of society as it grows. “A Rose for Emily” is centered on few encounters, and the perspective that influence them, occur between the townsfolk and the outsider Ms. Emily. These encounters occurred when the ever progressing and changing town of Jackson, Mississippi and the traditions of said growing town coming into conflict in “A Rose for Emily”. Each perspective of the encounters created two distinct different perspectives of, or approaches to, the traditions and what can and cannot ‘fit’ into the modernization of society.

Emily was kept confined from all that surrounded her. Her father had given the town folks a large amount of money which caused Emily and her father to feel superior to others. “Grierson’s held themselves a little too high for what they really were” (Faulkner). Emily’s attitude had developed as a stuck-up and stubborn girl and her father was to blame for this attitude. Emily was a normal

William Faulkner writes “A Rose for Emily”, which is a tale about the peculiar events in a small town in Mississippi. The protagonist, Emily Grierson, is an eccentric lady that encounters tragedies throughout her life. Unexpectedly, she meets Homer Barron whom she considers the love of her life. In this tragic love story, Faulkner reveals the true identities of these individuals. The main character, Emily Grierson, in the story “A Rose for Emily”, is portrayed as a dynamic character, an anti-hero in the story, and a mysterious citizen in the small town of Jefferson.

As a result, Miss Emily remains unmarried. This situation perhaps helps readers understand how Miss Emily is trying to cope of all the burden and pressures of great expectations that others have of her. While most individuals can handle this kind of stress, Miss Emily unfortunately is unable to develop healthy, adaptive coping mechanisms. Another glimpse of her character is when the sheriff office attempts to collect taxes, Emily tells them “see Colonel Sartoris” (33), who had been dead almost ten years. “I have no taxes in Jefferson” reasserts Emily (33). Despite many attempts to collect taxes, Emily simply continues to refuse to cooperate with the town authorities. This observation of Miss Emily's behavior is telling us how irrational and inappropriate she is when she interacts with other people. Another episode of her erratic behavior occurs when Judge Stevens, the new town mayor, receives several complaints from the neighbors that a powerful, terrible odor is originating from Emily’s property and ordered by the neighbors to “send her word to have her place cleaned up” (33). This is another hint that Emily is becoming separated from her community and is totally unable to relate to other people in an appropriate matter.

At one point in the short story, it is said that there is a wretched scent coming from Miss Emily’s house and, instead of finding out why, the Old generation simply covers it up by sprinkling lime around her home to cover up the scent. With all that the Old generation did for her, it is evident that, to them, Miss Emily was some sort of prized possession, one that was not to be touched. However, as time went on, the Old generation moved on and the New generation came into play. Those of the New generation called a meeting to speak with Emily about the taxes that she had not paid in many years, with the intention of getting her to pay them again, just as every other person in the town did. As this was brought up to her, Miss Emily quickly became offended and defensive, ultimately telling the city authorities to “See Colonel Sartoris,” who had passed away many years ago, because she refused to believe that she had to pay taxes in her city, because the Old generation had convinced her that she would never have to. The more that the New generation and the society around her developed, the more Emily fell behind and struggled to keep up with the changes that were being made around her. This resulted in Miss Emily hiding herself away in her house for many years, as an attempt at escaping the changes being made to the society that she once knew so well. At some

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.

The story "A Rose for Emily" is one of first William Faulkner’s publications. The action of this story takes place in a time filled with social and political turmoil, when Southern came into a historical lethargy, and when its glow start faded. The elements presented in "A Rose for Emily" make reference to that time and are a tribute to Mss. Emily Graiser. A dominant tone is shown by a footprint of the past and loneliness to which was added symbolism and melancholia. The author showed us through his words issue of life, love and death, a sensitivity which gets us closer of characters' life and struggles.

“A Rose for Emily“ is the most famous short story by the american author William Faulkner and was published in 1930. The story deals with the major themes of death, decay and change.

Once Miss Emily’s father died, she didn’t want to let go. She had no one to love and lover her back. The only love and compassion she knew was her fathers. With him leaving this world entirely, I think she didn’t want to believe he was dead. She wanted to hold on as much as she could. “She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days… Just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down, and they buried her father quickly.” Again, Miss Emily’s necessity for love made her unconscious of the real world, wanting to hold on to something that was not there.

At first, “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner was confusing for me, due to the fact that the story is not in chronological order, but it was much easier to understand after rereading it. The lack of chronological order made me anticipate what would happen next. The avid descriptions of the characters and the house made it easy to visualize what I was reading. When Emily bought the rat poison, I believed that she was going to use it on herself, but when Homer disappeared, I predicted that she had killed him. I did not anticipate the discovery of the gray hair next to Homer’s body. Overall, I found this story very enjoyable and intriguing.

Emily behaves the way she does for numerous reasons. She is born into an aristocratic family. Emily is brought up as a Southern belle by her father and is placed on a pedestal by the townspeople. The Grierson’s are known in town for being extremely wealthy and having the nicest house in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County. Due to the fact that her father, Mr. Grierson, keeps her isolated and socially restricted as a child, she behaves abnormally. Emily feels as if she is pressured to live up to her father’s expectations. Because Emily is kept away from everything, she is not yet exposed to the real world.

Upon reading William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” one discovers several colorful characters, including one Miss Emily Grierson of Jefferson, Mississippi. Readers uncover her quirks and specific character traits as seen through the eyes of the townspeople who are highly interested in the goings-on in her life. Miss Emily Grierson is a round yet static protagonist who is lonely, unyielding to change, and overcome by her unfortunate life circumstances, and as such she should not be considered a mad woman as many readers might accuse her of being.