Short-Story Paper

William Faulkner is known as one America's greatest authors. In fact, his short stories, "Barn Burning," and "A Rose for Emily," are two of the best-known stories in American literature. Both are examples of the reflection of contemporary Southern American values in his work. “Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” are two stories both written by William Faulkner. “Barn Burning” has a theme of family loyalty verses loyalty to the law. “A Rose for Emily” has a theme of power by death. Emily is thought of as a monument, but at the same time she is pitied and often irritating, demanding to live life on her own terms. Awkward and eerie, versus exciting and dramatic, though written by the same author, the two stories have very contrasting themes,

Faulkner uses the setting to convey the mystery surrounding Emily and her actions. For example, Faulkner writes “ knocked at the door through which no visitor had passed since she ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier.” This quote shows the mystery of her house and how nobody knows what is in it or what goes on inside of it. The townspeople are wondering what goes on behind Miss Emily’s closed doors. Also

In "A Rose for Emily" and "Barn Burning," William Faulkner creates two characters worthy of comparison. Emily Grierson, a recluse from Jefferson, Mississippi, is an important figure in the town, despite spending most of her life in seclusion. On the contrary, Abner Snopes is a loud, fiery-tempered man that most people tend to avoid. If these characters are judged by reputation and outward appearance only, the conclusion would be that Emily Grierson and Abner Snopes are complete opposites. However, despite the external differences, these two characters have surprisingly similar personalities.

A&P by John Updike and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner are two short stories which reveal to be different, odd and even bizarre in several aspects; conversely, on the other hand, they are very similar. One similarity for John Updike, William Faulkner and many other authors, is being that they follow the three-act structure, which helps to write their story more effectively. Furthermore, in analyzing A&P and A Rose for Emily, we see that both share an “overarching” theme; however, their symbolism and conflicts are different, yet finally, in the end, you will see which one I infer does a better job compared to the other.

The single most important aspect that defines southern gothic writing is the use of macabre, or malformed, events. These distinguished events are easy identified in both of these short stories. Faulkner’s story, “A Rose for Emily,” was told

We learn that "her voice was dry and cold" and that she did not accept no for an answer (667). Her house, a fading photograph, "smelled of dust and disuse-a closed, dank smell," and when her guests are seated a "faint dust" rises "sluggishly about their thighs" (667). All of these terms suggest neglect, decay, entropy: each of these elements tie in with the surface layer as well as the deeper themes upon which Faulkner tiers.

The glistening sun scorching my eyes bring me back to consciousness , i have only a few seconds of silence before i am overcome with an unbearable screech next to me .

I will be comparing the similarities in the two stories “The Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” written by author William Faulkner. William Faulkner is known as one of America’s greatest authors. The two stories included above are said to be some of the best-known stories in American Literature. The stories are cases of the impression of modern Southern American values. Faulkner’s stories contained a variety of gothic plots and as well as wicked characters. Faulkner is remembered by using long sentences that were interrupted by clauses. William Faulkner has created similar situations in both stories, but he also put both Emily and Abner are different social ladders. The two stories are similar because the structure of themes, setting placed

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.

This totally surprised me as a reader, having no clue that it was possible for her to commit such a crime. After reading the story, it is easy to see why Faulkner told the story in the way that he did. He did it to keep the reader on his toes and to not let the reader be able to predict what might happen next.

A suspenseful tale of tradition versus change is told with the help of literary elements in William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily. Foreshadowing and symbolism develop Emily’s tragic fate in a way the reader is exposed to how deeply death and sociatal change have effected Miss Emily. Faulkner displays how effective these elements are for a short story to truly have an impact on the

Faulkner’s use of southern gothic writing style helps the reader build a mental depiction of Miss Emily. When the town sent their ambassadors to discuss the taxes that were owed, Faulkner described Miss Emily as “bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water” (2182). This description gives the reader the sense that the character is not well. Faulkner’s description that Miss Emily looked bloated achieves the desired effect on the reader to show how hideous she appears. This graphic description, combined with the author’s depressing description of the parlor (2182), makes the reader think of death. The reader gets the sense of being in a funeral parlor which helps to strengthen Faulkner’s narrative.

Without her father, she had no one to put any order in her life and wasn't going to let anyone else try. "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and knew with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which robbed her, as people will" (Faulkner page #).

1. Discuss the ways in which Faulkner uses Miss Emily 's house as a symbol and/or metaphor both her character 's personality and circumstances and for the narrative 's broader themes. What does the description of Emily 's house—at the beginning of the story, particularly, but also throughout the narrative—reveal about her character? About the story 's historical setting? About the narrative 's central concerns?

The most detailed mental picture that Faulkner describes in the story would be that of the room in the upstairs of Emily’s house. “A thin, acrid pall as of the tomb seemed to lie every where upon this room decked and furnished as for a bridal: upon the valance curtains of faded rose color, upon the rose—shaded lights, upon the dressing table, upon the delicate array of crystal and the man’s toilet things backed with tarnished silver, silver so tarnished that the monogram was obscured. Among them lay collar and tie, as if they had just been removed, which, lifted, left upon the surface a pale crescent in the dust. Upon a chair hung the suit, carefully folded; beneath it the two