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Emily In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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American writer William Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, in 1897. Much of his early work was poetry, but he became famous for his novels set in the American South. His work, A Rose for Emily, depicts an older lady who fights with the town about taxes and then ends up in a relationship with Homer Barron. In William Faulkners, A Rose for Emily, everyone overlooks Emily as a suspect in the murder of Homer Barron originally because they didn’t realize he was dead, then because of their seemingly happy relationship, and finally because of her position in society. Homer Barron was dead for quite some time before the townspeople realized it, but why? They didn’t realize he was dead because of his way of life. Homer was a construction …show more content…

First off, she came from a well-known, upper class family. That is why the townspeople didn’t believe that Emily would date Homer, they thought she was to good for him. They state, “Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer” (454). Emily was held to an extremely high position in their town. When she died, “our whole town went to her funeral, the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument” (451). She was from a different time than the newer generation in the town and everyone had the upmost respect for her. She was seen as a good old southern woman, and they never even considered it possible that she could do such a thing. The town also pitied her, making it almost impossible for them to see her as a murderer. All throughout the story they use the phrase “poor Emily.” They use it when talking about her father dying, during her relationship with Homer, and after they believe he has left her. This line that is repeated all throughout the essay is important because it reveals that they have pity for her. Since they show her pity it blinds them to the fact that she has the capability of murdering someone, especially not her lover. Many of Faulkners writings depict the decay of the old south, which is prevalent all throughout A Rose for Emily. His stories also depict how important status is in older

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Homer’s body was kept in that upstairs room for over fifty years. After losing her father, Emily did not want to lose the only other male figured she had in her life. Emily thought the only way of keeping him with her for the rest of her life was by death and keeping his

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The story, “A Rose for Emily,” was written by William Faulkner and was published in April 30, 1930. This story is about a woman named Emily and her dealing with a lot of problems. Emily is very quiet and during this story, she losses her father. She also has problems with relationships. In the story, “Lamb to Slaughter,” was about a woman and her husband.

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oneself in a certain way. The community saw Emily as a sheltered woman because her father felt that no male was good enough for Emily. They believed she was lost after her father’s death, using a lower class male like Homer to surpass the hurt she felt. In all, Emily was neither of those things. Emily murdering Homer had everything to do with the revenge.

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Not only that, as Homer becomes a popular figure in town and is seen taking Emily on buggy rides on Sunday afternoons, it scandalizes the town and increases the condescension and pity they have for Emily. They feel that she is forgetting her family pride and becoming involved with a man beneath her station. Even though Emily is from the high class family, it does not mean that she is living up to the pleasant lifestyle. As a matter of fact, she is actually living a gloomy and desolate life, which is essentially the opposite lifestyle expected for Emily's rank in society by the townspeople. Although Emily once represented a great southern tradition centering on the landed gentry with their vast holdings and considerable resources, Emily's legacy has devolved, making her more a duty and an obligation than a romanticized vestige of a dying order.

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Significantly, in Part 4, Faulkner uses Homer Barron 's corpse rotting in a room filled with "invisible dry dust" as a symbol; Emily thought of Homer like a rose, one she expected to endure long after being picked, even after his body was corrupted by the decay of time. Hence, ‘A Rose for Emily’. Notably, Faulkner uses profound imagery to summon a decrepit atmosphere, as the theme is reiterated: accept it or not, change and decay are inevitable. This change Emily always refuses, as we have seen through her father’s death, in leaving the home untouched, and certainly through her murder of Homer to allow their relationship to continue. In this case, Emily attempts to freeze time

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Throughout the story, the main character, Miss Emily Grierson, shows signs of what appears to be some form of mental illness. Although Faulkner never states that Miss Emily has anything wrong with her mental health, he does provide enough evidence to support that she is not psychologically stable. In “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner portrays the main character as a mysterious icon of the small town of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the story states, Emily’s father is an admirable figure in the city of Jefferson. After his passing, the townspeople show the same respect for Emily, as well.

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In the article “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner describes that Miss Emily Grierson was an important person to the town, so she didn’t need to pay the taxes to the city. Also, the townspeople have put her name to the representatives of august names because her father had loaned money to the town. However, the next generation wants Emily to pay the taxes to the city, but Emily refuse their arrangement. In addition, Faulkner claimed that Emily Grierson become crazy after her father dies, and some of the people are glad because they want to rob Emily Grierson’s properties. Emily dating with Homer Barron who is in town on a sidewalk-building project, but the town brings Emily’s cousin to stop their relationship.

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This pushed poor Emily over the edge of insanity and led her to commit the heinous act of murder. In the back of her mind, she probably had only one thought if she couldn't have him, then no one else ever

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Telling the story in an irregular order, Faulkner develops a sense of suspense by adding details to the mysterious Miss Emily. “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care: a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (451). The reader learns that Miss Emily had been seen as an eccentric woman that the people of the town had to take care of and overlook, ultimately overlooking her as a suspect in Homer Barron’s disappearance. Miss Emily often disappears into her house for months and years at a time,

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The towns people aren't responsible for Miss Emily’s death but they could of been better neighbors. They chose to talk about her and spread rumors amongst the community. “As soon as the old people said, “poor Emily” the whispering began.” Some of the chatter throughout town was about her relationship with Homer Barron and how they thought she was going to kill herself.

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Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature usually and southern literature specifically. His first published Story “A rose for Emily”, is one of the most famous that an American has written. Faulkner captured Southern Gothic in this short story by giving the story a moody and forbidding atmosphere. “A Rose for Emily” depicts southern gothic literature through the characters, the setting, and the mysteries and secrets.

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William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” critiques the American South Describing Emily’s vibrant life full of hope and buoyancy, later shrouded into the profound mystery, Faulkner emphasizes her denial to accept the concept of death. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the South during the transitional time period from the racial discrimination to the core political change of racial equality. Starting from the description of her death, “A Rose for Emily” tells the story about the lady who is the last in her generation (Emily Grierson). Being strong, proud and a traditional lady of southern aristocracy, Emily turns into an evil, unpredictable and mysterious old lady after the death of her father. Even though “A Rose for Emily”

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William Faulkner is a complex writer who knows how to set a great pace in his stories. He is also a very flexible writer which allows the openness of many topics to write on because of his unconventional style. In his short story, "A Rose for Emily", you can interpret how times are so different from today. Although it was not during slavery times, things were not much more advance than that. The dominance of gender or social roles shown on women, particularly Miss Emily, may be seen as harsh or unfair.

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In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” the historical context is important to understand. In order to fully comprehend the short story there must be some sort of understanding about the time period in which the story took place. This short story took place in the 18th/19th century during and after the Civil War in the South. In “A Rose for Emily” the historical context shows the social, economic, and the cultural environment of the background. Miss Emily was born during the Civil War.

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The story is set right after the civil war. Emily and her father are high class people who owned slaves to do all the things around the house. Because of her social status everyone in the town would never think of Emily as someone who would sleep with a dead body. When everyone found out about Emily’s secret it was a shock to everyone. Necrophilia is not something someone who was first class would do.

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