How Does Faulkner Present The Change In A Rose For Emily

“Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?” was said by Confucius. A large majority of people can tell that the respect people have for one another has diminished over the past centuries. William Faulkner confirms this idea of progression in his short story. After the American Civil War, the south was changing towards more modern ideas. The people seemed to also leave behind courtesy and respect. An analysis of William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily” shows how Faulkner portrays the change in the social structure of the American south in the early twentieth century through the use of imagery, characters, and conflict. In the first section of his story, Faulkner describes the setting and how the scenery has changed, through his use of imagery. In the first section of his story, Faulkner describes the setting and how the scenery has changed through his use of imagery. He describes how “It was a big, squarish, frame house that had once been white” (451). The

The mayor doesn’t have the same respect that the old mayor had for Miss Emily. “That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her” (453). The shortage of care in the new society made the new generation seem like heartless people. Miss Emily’s china painting students were expected to bring the newer generation to Miss Emily for lessons, but they didn’t. “… she ceased giving china-painting lessons eight or ten years earlier” (452). This change in how her student acted shows that they belonged to the newer generation. Finally, the whole town waiting for Miss Emily to die so that they can see her house proves how the town lost interest in who she was as a person. “They waited until Miss Emily was decently in the ground before they opened it” (456). The younger part of the town was eager to get inside the house, while the older ones paid their