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What Does Miss Emily Represent The Old South

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In the short story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, Miss Emily Grierson has passed away, and the townspeople have gathered at her funeral to pay their respects to their fallen monument, Miss Emily. Miss Emily’s family was a part of the town for many years, and Miss Emily was the last of her family left alive. Miss Emily is described as a small, heavy woman who always looks bloated with small eyes that are difficult to see. The townspeople are afraid of Miss Emily, but throughout time, they begin to feel pity for her. Faulkner uses the characterization of Miss Emily to show how she represents the Old South, and uses the conflicts between Miss Emily and the town to show how the town represents the New South. Miss Emily’s characterization …show more content…

She is the last surviving member of her family, which has allowed her to be independent. Miss Emily’s family is considered to be the old, Southern family who once had wealth; however, the only thing Miss Emily’s family left her is the Grierson family mansion and two servants. The Griersons are portrayed to believe they are better than everyone else through Miss Emily’s characterization with her attitude towards the townspeople and the druggist. Miss Emily treats the druggist as an incompetent man by intimidating him into giving her the arsenic without the reason for buying it because Miss Emily is using arsenic to murder Homer Barron, her supposed boyfriend. Miss Emily actually uses one glance to get her what she wants: “Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up” (226). Miss Emily’s …show more content…

The town, where the Griersons have planted their roots, was once controlled by the old, Southern family’s wealth and intimidation. As time passes, the Grierson family dies out, and the town begins to embrace the changes in the Old South. Once the town shows a wealthy, old family has lost all control over the town, the New South begins to improve. Proving the town is improving the narrator tells us, “ When the next generation, with its more modern ideas, became mayors and aldermen….The tax notice was also enclosed, without comment” (225), which shows more modern ideas for the town. One conflict in the story starts once the Board of Alderman visits Miss Emily in hopes of collecting her taxes. The gentlemen approach Miss Emily with intent on receiving the tax money that she owes, which is an example of how they live in the New South because they are not afraid to speak to Miss Emily face to face that they are not afraid to speak to her face to face. They have improved their way of handling conflicts with Miss Emily, for example, by not allowing her to continue the way her father controlled the town. As time shifts backward thirty years ago, the town leaders have secretly approached the Grierson mansion during in the middle of the night in order to rid the town of the awful smell coming from her home. The town leaders are afraid to approach Miss

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