Symbolism In Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

Symbol: A person, place, or thing in a narrative that suggests meanings beyond its literal sense. A symbol usually contains multiple meanings and associations (Kennedy and Gioia G30).

Would it be incorrect to start a story off backwards? Throughout this essay I will be informing you on how William Faulkner use elements and how Faulkner use exposition and conflict to foreshadow the ending. William Faulkner is the author of the short story “A Rose for Emily”. In the story, a woman named Emily Grierson died when she was really old and the story takes us back through some points of her life. In the story Faulkner uses the literary element of foreshadowing to give the reader background information on the life of Emily Grierson. Some of the foreshadowing that was in the short story is when she asked about poison, the stench smell in the house, and the dust that was collecting in the house.

Symbolism uses an object to convey an underlying idea in a story. These objects, known as symbols, represent ideas or qualities that the author wants to include indirectly. It relies upon the reader to analyze the meaning of these symbols and to evaluate their significance within the story. These ideas and qualities provide a deeper meaning to the story as it adds to the plot and gives the story emotional meaning. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” symbolism is used to supplement the story and to allow deeper insight to be made.

The use of foreshadowing to describe the changes in Emily physical and emotional life is subtler and relies heavily on symbolism. The descriptions of the decaying house symbolize Miss Emily's physical and emotional decay, and as well as her mental problems. It foretells of her downfall,  "a fallen monument" (507). The house is full of dust and dark shadows, "It smelled of dust and disuse-a close, dank smell", and symbolizes the death-filled environment that Emily lives in (508).

In, “A Rose For Emily”, by William Faulkner, the rose symbolizes the town’s respect for Emily or can disclose the irony of Emily never receiving a rose from Homer. At the beginning of the story Faulkner talks about the death of Emily. “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral... respectful affection for a fallen monument.” Emily has, metaphorically, always been in the town and symbolizes the past for her town. Since the town respects their elders, they feel like it’s their duty to honor Emily after she passes away. She separated herself from the town, like the south separated themselves from the north in the Civil War. Once she died, like when the confederate states lost, she was welcomed back into the town, country, when everyone came to her funeral, instead of letting her be off by herself. Homer publically let people know that he was gay and that he did not feel like he would be a good husband or father. “He liked men... he was not a marrying man.” Based on this quote, Emily would never get a rose from Homer because there was no chance of him loving her the way she loved him. The second part of the quote indicates him feeling like he was not the type to marry and settle down to start a family, which is something Emily indicated that she wanted to do with him. The title revealed the way the town views Emily and shows her hope of receiving love from Homer.

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.

particular society, place, or time. In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Miss Emily is living in a time where customs are valued and respected. Miss Emily lives in Yoknapatawpha county during the 1800s in which everyone pities her. Miss Emily's father chases away every chance of having someone; when her father dies, she meets Homer Barron. The town believes that they will marry, they aren't surprised when he leaves. The outdated setting influences noxious racism, frank sexism, and time-honored traditions.

In “A Rose For Emily”, by William Faulkner, plot plays an important role in how

The house is large with a square frame and is lavishly decorated. It resembles popular architecture styles back in the 1870’s with cupolas, spires, and scrolled balconies. Garages, cotton gins, and other industrial trappings have replaced the antebellum homes. After Emily’s father passes away, she refuses to change anything. From metallic numbers affixed to the side of the house, to modern mail service, Emily is in a timeless vacuum. The house symbolizes tradition. Like many traditions, they resist change. In the era of this story, proceeding the Civil war, the south is due for change. The locked room upstairs is an idealized realm. Her macabre bridal chamber shows an extreme attempt to cease time and change. A tradition so intense, it costs a human

In order to understand William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” you need to know a little bit about the author. Most of his novels take place in the state of Mississippi with colorful history and richly varied population. The frequent theme in his novels is the abuse of black people by Southern whites. “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the late 1800s in Mississippi after the civil war. The main character is Emily, who comes from wealthy background, but at the time of the story her family has lost its fortune. Faulkner uses a great deal of visual imagery that can illuminate Emily’s life. The author suggests that her father is a dominant character who does not allow his daughter to behave a certain way that would compromise their good name, and

He writes about Emily and the indecent relationships she maintains which annoy the townspeople. First, she has a Yankee gentleman who visits her, and then there is Homer. Out of all the men that visit Emily, Homer is the one gentleman she desires above any other man. This does not sit well with the townspeople as Homer is from a lower social class than Emily. To them, this match is indecent in many ways. In an analysis reviewing Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, it states, “Despite the decay of the Grierson family, the older townspeople feel that being from a higher social class, Emily should fulfill her duty befitting to her family's aristocratic status” (Hsu, Wang 1). It is evident that social status is important for the southerners living in this town. Similarly, Blanche feels this way concerning Stella and Stanley’s life in New

In a long critical analysis, Terry Heller asserts that although Faulkner’s emphasizes the difficulty of accepting change, they are other ideals that influence the way this short story is perceived. Heller argues that since the publication of this story, Miss Emily Grierson has either been sympathized or hated by the readers. He descriptively comments how the townspeople claimed to feel sympathy towards Emily but in reality never reached out to her to help her overcome her loses. Heller mentions that Faulkner highlights “what the town [felt], the things the town [said], [believed], and [did],” in order to help the reader realize that they are incorrect about the assumptions they make concerning Emily. Heller claims that the town’s actions reveal

William Faulkner uses theme, imagery and symbolism to highlight the decline of the South in his short story “A Rose for Emily.” William Faulkner is the author of “A Rose for Emily.” In “A Rose for Emily” the story starts off at Emily’s funeral, and the whole town is there too. The men went out of respect for losing a person who had been a citizen of Jefferson for a long time, and the women went because they wanted to see what her house looked like because only a select few have seen it in the last couple decades. The rest of the story is her past, when she was living. In the beginning Ms. Emily gets a note from the townspeople to pay her taxes. She responds back with “I don’t go out anymore so I can’t tell you why I am not paying my taxes” (Section 1). The townspeople send a group of men to talk to her. When they get there, she responds to them by making them stand while they talk, as a way to get show that they are not welcome. So the townspeople talk and Emily says nothing until they run out of words. Then, she says, “I have no taxes in Jefferson” (Section 1). She thinks that she is above the law and that she can do whatever she wants. So she doesn’t pay her taxes because Colonel Sartoris said she did not have to. In the next part, Faulkner goes even further back in Emily’s past, about thirty years. The townspeople had a problem with her back then because when they went by her house it smelled really bad. But the townspeople did not want to go up to her and

In the vast world of literature, symbolism is a technique used by many authors to compose intricate pieces of text. Every word hides within it a realm of possibilities for a reader's imagination to run wild with, if the reader dares. In the same manner, William Faulkner, the author of “A Rose for Emily”, uses the word “rose” as a way to present his thoughts on his own stories characters. In a sense, this shows Faulkner's capability and style as an author; to be able to elevate the meaning of a story with simple connotation.