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How Does A Rose For Emily Change

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Fiction Essay for “A Rose For Emily” In the story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner a major theme Faulkner plays on is the idea of tradition versus change. The story is set in the 1800s around the time of the Civil War when President Jefferson is coming into a new commercial future. The town that the story is set in is ready to see change and has even already started. Main character Emily Grierson is opposed these changing times, while she herself can be seen as a tradition in these changing times. “A Rose for Emily” compares the changing times of the current world to an overweight, unchanging protagonist who embodies old south tradition in her looks and the never-changing looks of the things around her. Miss Emily repeatedly shows the readers that she has issues with moving on into a more current and modern society. She shows that she is not ready to move forth in the world by refusing to allow the town to put numbers on her home and attach a mailbox once the city received free postal service ( Faulkner 314). Free postal service is more convenient, however …show more content…

She continually tries to avoid situations that make the ever evolving world seem closer. Although she does not want things to change one way readers can tell that times have changed is by her appearance. While her father is alive and all is well in the world she is described as “a slender figure in white in the background” which shows she is happy, healthy and active (311). Miss Emily is later described after her father dies as “ small, fat women in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt” which shows her lack of activity and motivation as well as her state of grief (309). Her change in appearance shows readers that although she refuses to forget old traditions and tries to live in the passed her change in appearance shows that the world is moving on, and she has to move forward with

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