Deconstruction Analysis: A Rose For Emily

Deconstruction Analysis: A Rose for Emily

Deconstruction, according to Dictionary.com, is a philosophical and critical movement, that questions all traditional assumptions about the ability of language to represent reality. "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner incites its readers to look for the deeper meaning behind every temporal shift, symbol and conflict in order to truly understand the author's view about a certain reality.

The story begins with Emily's funeral and from there on, the reader goes back in time to her life until her death. Instead of beginning the story with Emily's birth and developing it until her death, the author begins with her death and lets curiosity guide the reader throughout the passage. Although it is written

From that, it is clear that Emily is someone who lived outside of society's laws. When Emily's father died, refusing to cope with the harsh reality, she cuts her hair short, making her look like a little girl (147). Her cutting off her hair symbolizes the amount of pain she's bottling up while she tries to convince herself that she still has a father to protect her just like when she was a little girl. Later on, in Act V, Faulkner mentions a "long strand of iron-gray hair" (151). This is a quite subtle symbol of time, which could mean that not only was Emily a necrophilia, but also, she remained faithful to Homer's dead body until she died. Once again demonstrating how important marriage was to

Firstly, there is the conflict between the Self and Traditional view; Emily grew up in a well-known aristocrat family, which was considered as one of the pillars of her community. Growing up, her father had high expectation when it came to men for her, therefore, she could only socialize with a specific group of people. However, not long after her father died, Emily meets Homer, a dark-skinned northerner for whom she openly has feelings for. " Presently we began to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons driving in the yellow –wheeled buggy... (147). Unfortunately, when Homer refuses to marry Emily due to his sexual preference, he stepped into an inescapable fate which result to Emily killing him and keeping his body in her house. Aside from that, there is also the conflict between the Society and Emily. Because she is the heir of a respected family, Colonel Sartoris (the mayor) invents a story saying that Emily's father had loaned money to the town which exempts Emily from having to pay taxes as a citizen. Therefore, when the authorities came to collect taxes, she dismissed them by saying: "I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Satoris explained it to me […] See Colonel Satoris"