Faulkner's Foreshadowing

The Role for Foreshadowing: “A Rose for Emily”

Foreshadowing is a major element that serves as a key in story-telling specifically William Faulkner’s writing. Male author, William Faulkner, wrote “A Rose for Emily,” is one of many literary works that foreshadowing plays an instrumental role in. William Faulkner is effective in his numerous instances of foreshadowing that build suspense, create a dark and sinister theme, and emphasize irony. The first way Faulkner’s work displays the use of foreshadowing is through building suspense throughout the story. Suspense, in most darker stories, specifically “A Rose for Emily” is a result of the foreshadowing that the author incorporates into the story, intentionally of course. For instance, Faulkner

Because of the anticipation and the non-chronological order in this story, there is even more confusion presented upon the reader. Once again, death presents itself as one of the many reasons the story is surrounded by such a dark atmosphere. If it weren’t for the foreshadowing or indications Faulkner plays around with, we would not have suspected the death of Homer. Faulkner details, “the smell was the beginning of the end.” This indicates the decay of a body, which is unnatural for the story. William Faulkner’s inclusion of death reflects his writing skills. According to Larry Levinger’s article “Prophet Faulkner,” published in 2000, “William Faulkner spoke to the violence and disorder of our time.” Levinger’s article reflects the viewpoint from which most of society saw Faulkner’s writing in this era in which he was considered dark and extreme. Levinger adds “Faulkner’s characters violate the rules of decency and honor.” The indication that there is a dead body tempts our imaginations into wondering if there really

Thomas Dilworth adds in his article, “Faulkner uses "a complicatedly disjunctive time scheme and twists chronology almost beyond recognition.” Faulkner’s narrative strategy to leave the reader in desire to know more. Faulkner and the element of foreshadowing, specifically in the aspect of Emily’s fate, and the irony that she wasn’t the one to use the arsenic on herself. According to Robert Argiro’s article “Miss Emily after dark” “This irony is made more evident by Emily's ill-fated dalliance with Homer Barron, harbinger of the tale's deepest conundrum.” The irony of the story is a result of the what we suspect the foreshadowing suggests, but doesn’t. Foreshadowing operates in a way that the reader is experiencing the magnified mystery of the story emotionally Arigio also adds, “Yet "A Rose for Emily" calls us repeatedly to its mysteries, ironically convincing us that some textual evidence may emerge that will offer a clearer perspective on these aberrant and insoluble events.” This emphasizes the ultimate goals of Faulkner in his writing, which is to essentially use foreshadowing, as more writers do, to his advantage in keeping his readers engaged. We are afraid to know, but we must.

The element of foreshadowing in William Faulkner’s writing, specifically “A Rose for Emily” builds suspense, creates a dark and sinister theme, and emphasizes irony. All things considered,