The Role Of The Father In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In the Southern gothic tale written by William Faulkner, A Rose for Emily talks about a girl who is closed off from society due to an overpowering father. Emily’s father earns the role of antagonist because of the way he negatively affected Emily growing up and leaving her a dead flower. He drove away potential suitors for Emily which indicates the level of control he had not just on her, but on her love life. Her father did not let Emily make natural connections with the outside world, causing her psychological damage. Leading her to revert to a childlike nature and live in a life of reclusion, even after his death. Regardless of his behavior, he had good intentions for his daughter. He was a protective father who enforced a policy of exclusion around Emily, because he believed that no one in Jefferson is good enough for her. Emily’s father just wanted to protect her from shame, dishonor, and from those who lie beneath them. He is responsible for what becomes Emily’s permanent habit of solitude. In the short story written by Kate Chopin, The Story of an Hour tells the story of a wife receiving the news of her husband’s

The antagonist in each story kept their loved ones, the protagonists, away from living a fruitful life. Emily and Louise both represent flowers who were not taken care of carefully and were killed by their owners. All the control demanded by her father consumed Emily and drowned her. Emily’s father over watered his delicate, beautiful flower leaving her rotted and wilted similar to the description of Emily when she walks out to greet the Aldermen, “She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water”(804). Louise’s husband kept her, a strong yet fragile flower away from sunlight, which kept Louise from growing. Without the opportunity to grow within herself, Louise is left shriveled and dies before getting the chance to recover her