Symbolism In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

Literary works, especially that of fiction, tend to share common elements. Although every story maintains some sort of plot, setting, theme, and point of view, the way an author approaches these elements of fiction can vary quite a bit in technique. In “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner relies heavily on foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery to convey a story rich with hidden meaning. By foreshadowing, or suggesting the dark conclusion of the story with the occasional hint within the text, the reader develops a sense of expectation regarding the outcome. In the use of symbolism we glean a deeper sense of meaning to the story based on the description and reader interpretation of each object or event described. All of this can be tied together

This is an intense moment of foreshadowing because it is the first time the reader realizes that Emily is likely to become unhinged. When the town attempts to console her, she avoids reality in order to create her own. She interacts with others “dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face” and claims “that her father [is] not dead” (!!!). It is apparent at this point that she is stubborn in her ways and unwilling to let go of things before she is ready. With this realization, the story becomes that much more ominous for the reader. Once Emily develops a close relationship to Homer, only to be met with disapproval, the reader can start to assume that something is bound to occur to make her snap completely. Faulkner foreshadows this breakdown throughout the story, but “when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic” he starts to truly show Emily’s dark side. Faulkner tries to throw the reader off the scent of Homer’s death initially by implying Emily will either convince him to marry her or kill herself with this poison. However, since this is the last time we see Baron, the reader can begin to infer his

First of all, the title is in and of itself quite symbolic. The rose within the story never materializes and is only mentioned in action (“she rose”) or color (“rose-shaded”). However, in terms of flowers, roses are symbolic of love, which is also something that never seems to materialize for Emily. Other fairly important uses of symbolism are the estate in which Emily resides for the entirety of her life. This home that “had once been white, decorated, . . . in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies” had evolved into a “stubborn and coquettish decay . . . an eyesore among eyesores” (!!!). This is representative of the passing of time and the degeneration of southern nobility and tradition. The home is also used as a means to symbolize the decay of Emily’s sanity and stability. Once promising and full of potential, she is eventually reduced to an isolated, bloated, hoarder of death, dust and