Comparing Trauma In The Red Convertible And A Rose For Emily

About seventy percent of people in the U.S. have experienced some sort of traumatic, life-changing event in their lives. Louise Eldrich’s Native American store, “The Red Convertible,” and William Faulkner’s Southern Gothic story, “A Rose For Emily” unintentionally share several similarities of trauma. Native American literature can typically be described by oral storytelling traditions, often exploring the themes of identity and cultural preservation whereas Southern Gothic literature is mainly described by a genre originating in the American South, characterized by a dark and grotesque portrayal of Southern life, often containing features of the supernatural and violence. Even with their several unique differences, “The Red Convertible” and

Both stories contain characters who are faced with great loss, challenging their lives in a certain way. After being subject to several years of war and the eventual entrapment by Vietnam soldiers, Henry faced a severe identity change. When Henry got home from the war, “[he] was very different… he was quiet, so quiet, and never comfortable sitting anywhere” (Erdrich). Henry used to be a very energetic person living a carefree lifestyle, but it is apparent from the first moment he returns that he lost everything about his past identity. This loss of self not only turns Henry into a cold, emotionless body but eventually leads him to end his own life. This expression of loss can also be seen by Emily when her father died. Despite being confronted by two cousins who tried “to persuade her to leave her father’s body, [Emily] refused” (Faulkner). Emily’s father was a very controlling figure in her life making his death lead to Emily feeling lost and alone. Emily was unwilling to let go of her father and was never able to form meaningful relationships with men as his influence

After her father’s death, Emily insisted that her father “was not dead… for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body” (Faulkner). This suggests that Emily was unable to accept her father’s death and that she had been experiencing severe symptoms of denial as a result of her trauma. This denial mainly stems from the physical abuse and emotional control her father had placed on Emily, both contributing to her isolation from society and leading to her eventual death. Despite the differences between the stories, both represent the severe effects of trauma and how it can lead to the tragic downfall of one’s