In Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily”, Emily lives in a world of her own making. This is because townspeople in Jefferson holds Miss Emily in such high regards. To them, she symbolizes the customs of the old south, or what the town Jefferson once was. For Emily and also for the townspeople time is relative, the past is an ever-present realm in Jefferson. For this reason people wish to respect Emily and preserve her customs; even if it means intruding into her personal life, or turning the cheek towards her suspicious actions. In the story Falkner introduces the importance of preserving the traditions of an old Southern town. This is done through his choice in literary elements: such as setting, motif, point of view, symbolism, and metaphor.
The first literary element to discuss is the setting. The setting of Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is in a little southern town called Jefferson. Emily was born and raised during the slavery era or what they consider the time of the “old South”. This can be supported by the fact that Emily has a servant named Tobe. Tobe, who was a slave, dutifully cared for Emily and tended to her demands until her dying day, “the Negro...going in and out with a market basket,”(Faulkner 222). However, the town of Jefferson was an urban society moving into the developmental period, “The town had just let the contracts for paving the sidewalks,” (223). Along with getting paved sidewalks the town also begins to receive free postal delivery. Emily attempts to maintain her old Southern traditions by declining to let the townsmen fasten metal numbers above her door and affix a mailbox to her house. This was, along with many others, Emily’s way of maintaining her old South tradition.
Similarly, Faulkner’s use of motif hel...
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William Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily" is perhaps his most famous and most anthologized short story. From the moment it was first published in 1930, this story has been analyzed and criticized by both published critics and the causal reader. The well known Literary critic and author Harold Bloom suggest that the story is so captivating because of Faulkner’s use of literary techniques such as "sophisticated structure, with compelling characterization, and plot" (14). Through his creative ability to use such techniques he is able to weave an intriguing story full of symbolism, contrasts, and moral worth. The story is brief, yet it covers almost seventy five years in the life of a spinster named Emily Grierson. Faulkner develops the character Miss Emily and the events in her life to not only tell a rich and shocking story, but to also portray his view on the South’s plight after the Civil War. Miss Emily becomes the canvas in which he paints the customs and traditions of the Old South or antebellum era. The story “A Rose For Emily” becomes symbolic of the plight of the South as it struggles to face change with Miss Emily becoming the tragic heroin of the Old South.
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In "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner's use of setting and characterization foreshadows and builds up to the climax of the story. His use of metaphors prepares the reader for the bittersweet ending. A theme of respectability and the loss of, is threaded throughout the story. Appropriately, the story begins with death, flashes back to the past and hints towards the demise of a woman and the traditions of the past she personifies. Faulkner has carefully crafted a multi-layered masterpiece, and he uses setting, characterization, and theme to move it along.
In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," we see how past events affect the life of the main character Miss Emily, especially her inability to accept change. Throughout the story Miss Emily goes to extreme measures to protect her social status. Miss Emily lives in the past to shield herself from a future that holds no promises and no guarantees. William Faulkner illustrates Miss Emily's inability to accept change through the physical, social and historical settings, all of which are intimately related to the Grierson house.