Losing a loved one is always a tragedy and definitely puts one off balance. Tragedy and an imbalance of emotions is the topic that both the poem “Head, Heart" by Lydia Davis, and the short story,“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner are about. Although both works of literature share a topic, their distinctive themes share many similarities and differences. In "Head, Heart", Davis writes about how the head is there to help the heart. In the event of losing a loved one, the head must fulfill its duty by telling the heart to move past and heal. Additionally, she expresses that although the head "tells" the heart to move on, the heart's "ears" may not always heed the head's "words". Similarly, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, is a short …show more content…
In “Head, Heart”, Davis expresses the theme of letting one’s head help the heart heal. While, “A Rose for Emily” signifies the importance of letting one’s heart move past events in order to live the present. Davis puts more emphasis on the head as a major part of helping one’s heart heal and grieve, while putting less emphasis on the past or the actual event itself. Additionally, Faulkner emphasizes the seriousness of allowing one’s heart to move past and let go of tragic events in one’s past. “A Rose for Emily” conveys this message by signifying what happened to the character Emily Grierson as a result of this mistake. While comparing both pieces of literature side by side, it is shown that both themes are quite distinct. In “Head, Heart” Lydia Davis writes, “Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all go. But even the earth will go, someday.”. This communicates that since everyone is going to go someday, one’s heart must heal in order to move on. William Faulkner conveys the topic of this message is slightly different from Lydia Davis. In “A Rose for Emily” Faulkner writes, “The man himself lay in the bed. For a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin. The body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace, but now the long sleep that outlasts love, that conquers even the grimace of love, had cuckolded him. What was left of him, rotted beneath what was left of the nightshirt, had become inextricable from the bed in which he lay; and upon him and upon the pillow beside him lay that even coating of the patient and biding dust.” (Faulkner, 1930). Here, the message of the theme indicates that Emily was unable to let go of her past (her courter), and she ended up dead because of it. While “Head, Heart” conveys that everyone will go someday, “A