ipl-logo

A Rose For Emily Literary Analysis

1203 Words5 Pages

In "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, the life of Emily Grierson is recounted through the story. Faulkner begins with her funeral, which the whole town happens to attend. Through a series of flashbacks, it is revealed that her father was very controlling of her. He would reject many potential suitors. Because of this remained single for most of her life even after her father died. Sometime after her father's death, she became friendly with a day laborer named Homer Barron, until he disappeared without a trace. After this she became a recluse a mysterious figure among her community, rarely coming out of her own home. Going back to her funeral it is revealed she murdered Homer and kept his body in her upstairs room. At many points in the …show more content…

She gives off an entitled attitude when interacting with others and behaves as if she is untouchable. When the city council pays a visit to make her pay her taxes she ignores them and acts if it is a childish request to have her pay taxes. She then forces them out the same way she did when they came to ask about the smell coming from her house. By simply ignoring their requests it shows that she believes that rules don't apply to her. Another example is her interaction with the druggist when she bought the arsenic. She had a cold demeanor when talking to him as if she was much better than him. In this encounter, Emily also talked down to the druggist making him feel intimidated and probably worthless. When asked to provide the reason why she was buying the arsenic, as it is required by law, she remained silent and only stared at him until he went to retrieve the arsenic. This shows again how she believes the rules do not apply to her. This draws similarities to the real life case of Ethan Couch, better known as the "Affluenza Teen". Couch was found guilty of killing four people while driving drunk and only received ten years of probation rather than the twenty years of jail time that was being pushed for. The court reasoned that he was too wealthy to know right from wrong. As Jessica Simons of Marquette University writes, "…the wealthy seem to be able to find their way around the legal system and be treated much more leniently than people of less affluent backgrounds."(Simons). This causes one to think had he been from a lower social class would the punishment have been more

Show More
Related
1495 Words | 6 Pages

Even however they locate her haughty and derisive. She is a lady who conflicts with all standards of her general public, she takes a darling, a Northerner no less, she doesn't wed him, and she even submits kill. As she experiences these occasions throughout her life, the townspeople make certain suspicions about what she is doing. They expect that she has hitched Homer Barron, they accept that the arsenic she obtained is so she can execute herself, and they always expect that she is "Poor Emily," a lady who is administered by her dad and unfit to settle on choices for

Read More
942 Words | 4 Pages

Miss Emily’s father dies, she finds a suitor, and buys poison, then shuts herself and her

Read More
1172 Words | 5 Pages

The ascension of Christ, the passing away of apostles and the spreading of the Christian faith left many of the churches teaching only the faith which was passed down to them. Over the first two centuries this lead to many discrepancies among churches and believers in relation to application and interpretation. The typical transfer of information relied on oral transmission but by 100 A. D. many of the apostles had passed away with only their original autographs remaining. This scattering of apostolic autographs amongst the early church made it difficult to maintain textual unity and integrity. The need to collaborate these apostolic autographs and have a common authority initiated with heretical teachings and to provide a defense for the church and the faith.

Read More
1852 Words | 8 Pages

In many situations, the people within the town notice Miss Emily’s odd behavior, but they choose to maintain peace with her instead of helping her when she clearly needs it the most. However, this need to preserve the respectful image of Miss Emily ultimately leads to her emotional breakdown of isolation and

Read More
960 Words | 4 Pages

He also shows the relationship between Emily and her dead father and how Emily cannot let go of people that show a love interest in her or the people who look after her in that she must be attached to them even after death. Faulkner depicts an Emily that was once young and vibrant, who maintained the Grierson home and kept it in a pristine condition. Faulkner relays to readers that because Emily was unable to control her own destiny and was powerless under her father’s hand, she became a recluse and ultimately went into a downward spiral. After sensing and believing that her first real love will leave her, Emily purchases arsenic and it is believed that she will kill herself because there is no point in living if no one will love her

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

But once the Colonel had passed away the townspeople wanted Emily to start paying her taxes again, but she refused to do this. In section 3 we see that Emily is suffering from a disease that is caused by the previous section while dealing with her fathers passing. Once the town starts making improvements a man named Homer is chosen to do the work for the town. At this point, he is seen winning over the heart of Emily over and the townspeople are not liking this because Homer is way beneath her family statue. As the love affair keeps growing and growing Emily decides to go to the drugstore and purchase a poison called Arsenic.

Read More
742 Words | 3 Pages

“A rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a short story about the life of Emily Grierson. The story, as told by the townsfolk, tells the present and past of Emily’s life and how unfortunate events affected her decisions and lifestyle. Faulkner utilizes the townspeople to narrate “A Rose for Emily” To portrait how the town covered Emily’s deeds and thus protected the town’s reputation. The townspeople are the narrator of “A Rose for Emily,” Along the story they are sometimes represented as a single entity that seeks to justify Emily’s actions.

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

When Emily’s father dies and shortly after Homer’s disappearance follows, we see a depressed and a lonely Emily who never leaves the

Read More
1607 Words | 7 Pages

Analysis of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is the best short story because its plot, setting, and symbols are well formulated and incorporated into the story to effectively convey the themes of death and change, race and gender. A Rose for Emily is a short story regarding the life of Emily Grierson as told through the perspectives of the townspeople in a tiny old town in the South. The story begins with the awkward relationship between Emily and her dad, pre and posts his death, and further explores how Emily gets secluded after poisoning her “Yankee” partner Homer Barron and concealing his remains for more than a decade in her bed. William Faulkner exploits various literary devices to create various themes.

Read More
926 Words | 4 Pages

Faulkner says, Emily buys Arsenic from the druggist and the next day Homer is seen entering her home and that was the last time anyone ever saw him or Emily for some time. No one but the negro servant left the house. (Faulkner 455) Emily kills Homer because she doesn’t want him to leave her. If he’s dead, he can’t run

Read More
691 Words | 3 Pages

When her father died we can see that she is controlling of him and would not release the body for burial. After she loses her father, it is as if she loses her sense of reality. It is as if maybe the old white house is beginning to represent the attitude and ways of Emily. The house is old, dark, and very dusty just as the townspeople think Emily is. Homer Barron is a construction worker from New York.

Read More
1214 Words | 5 Pages

Many critics have seen in Faulkner “a credible authority on the South, a writer of fiction who had something important to offer about the regions and the meanings of its past”. The story of “A Rose for Emily” is told by one of the townspeople. The protagonist is seen from the outside and described by a first-person narrator, who tells the readers his point of view and others’ from the town. The narrator and these people had always regarded the character from the outside.

Read More
923 Words | 4 Pages

One of William Faulkner’s best short story of all time is “A Rose for Emily.” The story is a suspense and horror, that will leave readers in shock. Additionally, the story is in chronological order and cleverly broken down into five parts. The first part of the story is the current event that shows Emily’s funeral and the town people mourning. The other four part are pieces of puzzle that shows flash backs of Emily Grierson on how the everyone in town viewed her.

Read More
1118 Words | 5 Pages

1. author, title, year and topic "The Hound of the Baskerville" was first published in 1901 in England. The novel is a detective story, with the main protagonists Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. It was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a famous writer in the 20th Century. Doyle is commonly known for the characters he created.

Read More
534 Words | 3 Pages

When her father died she lost everyone that mattered to her. She eventually started dating people and getting back out into the world again. She had met Homer whom she had hoped to marry one day. The towns people were worried because he was a northerner and a Yankee therefore they tried to get her to stop seeing him, but they soon learned Homer was more interested in living the life of a single guy. When Emily learned of this she went to the drug store to buy arsenic, she wanted to ensure Homer did not leave her. She seemed to have a problem with people leaving her; she never was happy.

Read More

More about A Rose For Emily Literary Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document