Amy Bushong Composition II, 16577 Literary Devices 10-16-14 A Watch for Emily In William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, time is the relentless master to which society must bow down or be left in its wake, and those who cannot accept change will be left to descend into madness and murder. This is the case with Emily when she refuses to let go of a time long since passed, and resorts to unscrupulous methods in an attempt to preserve tradition. Throughout the course of the story Faulkner leaves bits of clues and glimpses into what happens when tradition will not make way for progress, like a literary bread crumb trail, through the utilization of metaphors, symbols, and allusions. Dust is a prominent metaphor in the story, representing the decay of Emily’s life (and mental condition) and the decline of a by-gone era. When the deputation of the board of aldermen visit her home to …show more content…
The previous lavishness of the “big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies…set on what had once been [the] most select street” (437) indicates that Emily came from a well-off family that was probably highly respected. The whiteness of the house can be taken to symbolize the innocence of her youth, and that as she got older her macabre habits manifested themselves and polluted that innocence, leaving the house dingy and tainted. The condition of the house when Emily dies is that of a worn down vestige to the past, “an eyesore among eyesores” (437), representing how the towns people saw her. She was a curiosity, a clandestine entity that could only be unraveled after her death when there was no one left to safe guard the dark secrets of her house. The house stands as a monument to a lost time and a testament to tradition that has no place in the modern era, much like Emily
Throughout this short story, Emily showcases several attributes of mental illness which is compounded from it already running in her family, to events in her life that may seem disturbing. Faulkner paints an eerie image of Emily and her surroundings which helps the reader to understand the state of her mental stability. By being withdrawn from society and being seen as an outsider, it seemed she was trapped in a world that did not understand her which made her seem full of delusions. Even though Emily seemed like she needed professional help she never received any psychiatric treatment. Although the community Emily lived in never thought she was crazy, they did think she was a bit off and this can be seen through their interactions with her.
Paloma Cerda Mrs. Koehler ENGL-1301-566 September 20, 2017 In A Rose for Emily written by William Faulkner, the story of Miss Emily is told through a very loose format. Through this narration, there is a long and drawn out suspense built up through little hints left by the reader without fully giving away the dark truth behind Emily and her house. Until the end of the story, the narrators ambiguity cleverly points the reader towards the climax of the story where Emily is discovered to be Homer Barron’s killer. This ambiguous element is important to the quality of this short story as it drives it forward and keeps the reader interested.
Significantly, in Part 4, Faulkner uses Homer Barron 's corpse rotting in a room filled with "invisible dry dust" as a symbol; Emily thought of Homer like a rose, one she expected to endure long after being picked, even after his body was corrupted by the decay of time. Hence, ‘A Rose for Emily’. Notably, Faulkner uses profound imagery to summon a decrepit atmosphere, as the theme is reiterated: accept it or not, change and decay are inevitable. This change Emily always refuses, as we have seen through her father’s death, in leaving the home untouched, and certainly through her murder of Homer to allow their relationship to continue. In this case, Emily attempts to freeze time
Telling the story in an irregular order, Faulkner develops a sense of suspense by adding details to the mysterious Miss Emily. “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care: a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (451). The reader learns that Miss Emily had been seen as an eccentric woman that the people of the town had to take care of and overlook, ultimately overlooking her as a suspect in Homer Barron’s disappearance. Miss Emily often disappears into her house for months and years at a time,
The form of a story gives it meaning, which any other form would change, and unless the student is able, in some degree, to apprehend the form, he or she will never apprehend anything else about the work….” Faulkner’s story directly connects to this quote as his choice of chronology in the short story is necessary in portraying his Gothic intent. The reader rides a roller coaster of emotions while reading the story, ranging from pity to disgust as the dark, hidden characteristic of the protagonist are revealed. Even though Miss Emily is introduced as a good, pure “angel,” she lives her life (through parts 1-5) and ends as an evil, perverted elder. The reader is truly tested by the unorganized chronology in order to understand William Faulkner’s
Miss Emily and the house are both described as unsightly throughout the story this shows how the locals view them together as blemish on the newly progressive town. The town of Jefferson is trying to progress into the modern age, but Miss Emily is the nagging reminder that their community was not always the angelic and accepting environment they believe it to
Emily’s life that started so pure and good, symbolized by white, took many turns for the worse over the years. First her father died, and this greatly affected Emily, as “After her father’s death she went out
The decaying house also symbolizes Emily's deteriorating mental state. As the years went by, and the times kept changing, Miss Emily and her home remained the same– broken down and rotted. Another example of Faulkner’s symbolism is through the structure of the story itself. He crafts each section out of order to emphasize the unpredictability of Miss Emily’s mental turmoil. He begins and ends the story with her death, while the middle sections adopt a complicated chronology of her life, revealing instances of her mysterious and closed-off manner.
Isolation Most people think of themselves as social people, and could not imagine isolating themselves from friends and family. However the small minority would rather lock themselves away from people and prefer their antisocial life. In William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” Faulkner illustrates how one woman, Emily Grierson, isolates herself from the townspeople. Faulkner displays isolation through Emily’s unique character.
Miss Emily comes from an old wealthy line of family in the deep south. Faulkner story is highly symbolic, enhancing miss Emily’s values and character. “Miss Emily is described as a fallen monument to the chivalric American South”(Allmon). Faulkner uses the setting of the story to show the emotional state of Emily. The female-male relationship between Emily and her father is strict, oppressive, and controlling; Their relationship has a major impact on Emily’s character Throughout the short story.
As the story goes on, Faulkner describes Emily’s death: “When Miss Emily Grierson died the whole town went to her funeral: the men out of respectful affection for a fallen monument and the women mostly out of curiosity” (Faulkner). Faulkner emphasizes that while men are caring and respectful women act only based on curiosity. Indeed, the role of women in the southern society is less significant than the role of
Throughout human history, humans have been known to execute gruesome acts. Whether these acts are small and insignificant or massive and change history, humans are capable of performing horrific plots against one another. To make matters worse, most of the people who commit these terrible crimes are people who are entirely in a clear state of mind. Nevertheless, there are some cases in which the line between sanity and mental instability blurs. For example, there is an ongoing debate regarding the mental health of the main character in William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily.”
By using unconventional plot structure, Faulkner has created a complex method of storytelling to explore the moral shortcomings of Southern values and ethics during the American Civil War through the means of Emily, a character who is socially and mentally trapped in the old
Emily spent her life trying to prevent the changes that were evident all around her, leading her to create a bridal chamber. Miss Emily was unable to prevent the change in the town but she felt she could stop it inside her home. She does the extreme to
A literary analysis on who is the narrator: The Narrator in A Rose for Emily is First Person Plural There is a mystery that seems to be unsolved throughout the years. Many important and influential literature critics have tried to discover who is the narrator in A Rose for Emily. After an extensive period of research, the mystery of who the narrator is has been solved. There are different points of view and information collected by the main narrator.