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The Importance of Plot in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily
Faulkner's narrative style in a rose for emily
An Essay about the symbolism being used in a rose for Emily
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The short story “A Rose for Emily” is a gloomy piece written by William Faulkner. Faulkner successfully uses a reminiscent tone to illustrate how Emily’s popularity or status in societythe legacy of the Grierson family name, kept the town of Jefferson onlookers blinded from the truth that Emily Griersonshe tragically murdered her lover, Homer Barron. This story is a far cry from today’s reality, because the fact is that in today’s society when people’s lives are in the spotlight, as Emily’s is, onlookers like to pry and investigate any suspicious behavior. The The narrator is using’s use of the word “we” whileen giving flashbacks into Emily’s past, which suggests that these flashbacks are recollections from multiple people. It is clear that the narrator is piecing together all the circumstantial evidence collected from the people aroundthat Emily’s home town of Jefferson. This circumstantial evidence could have indicted Emily of Homer’s murder, but not one person attempts to investigate the suspicious circumstances before Emily’s death. could have indicted her for Homer’s murder before she died. Faulkner’s use of first-person shows Emily is ’s popularita well-knowny member of this town, because she is the last remaining person in Jefferson from the famous Grierson bloodlineand importance to the people of the town, which is also, which gives reason the reason the people of Jefferson to why they igignored the obvious clues that Emily is mentally deranged andwas mentally unstable, due to the death of her father, and capable of pre-meditated murder. Throughout the narrators’ recollections of Emily’s past, many given details proveare given on howwhenywhen, why, and how Homer may have may have died. Emily’s father drove men away fro... ... middle of paper ... ...espectful to this town monument. Emily’s bloodline had been so important to the town’s history, that it would have brought shame to question the Grierson family name. The reactions of the townsfolk to Emily’s behavior, leading up to Homers death, is completely different from the way today’s society would react; although, in the day and time of which this story, mental illness is something shameful, and something people do not address or acknowledge as a real medical problem. Today, someone with the slightest bit of riches or fame are publicly scrutinized and all of their private actions and secrets are made public by the media, for the world to see and hear. Why the townsfolk of Jefferson protected Emily, by not investigating is debatable; however, it appears that her family’s significance to the town played a major role in Emily’s ability to get away with murder.
In William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily”, readers are introduced to Emily Grierson whose character was highly respected in her society but for some mysterious reason fell off the grid. The other people in her community became curious as to what was going on in her life and any effort to find out the truth had proved to be futile. This journal seeks to show the narrator’s view of the Miss Emily’s story, as the narrator would refer to her due to the first person plural point of view the story was written in. Consequently, the sense in telling the story should be noted, as denoted by the title and why he would constantly use “we instead of “I”. Furthermore, the journal shall assess the effects on the overall story and the character of the narrator.
One great puzzle in "A Rose for Emily," highlighted by Faulkner's language is the exact nature of Emily's relationship with Homer Barron. That is because Homer himself remains such an enigma. With an initial reading of the story, Homer appears to be an average kind of man. Those things about him that Faulkner reveals to us, such as his being "a Northerner [and] a day laborer"(279), while highly uncomplimentary in the eyes of the people of Jefferson, warrant little attention from a modern reader. We are glad for Emily and do not begrudge her the companionship, but contrary to Hal Blythe's view of Homer in his article, he never appears to be an "aristocratic and . . . chivalric . . . courtly lover"(49). He is, in fact, a construction worker whom the little boys of Jefferson followed to hear shout at the "niggers"(Faulkner 279). Little about him is aristocratic or chivalrous, because his relationship with Emily is h...
In “A Rose for Emily”, Charles Faulkner used a series of flashbacks and foreshadowing to tell Miss Emily’s story. Miss Emily is an interesting character, to say the least. In such a short story of her life, as told from the prospective of a townsperson, who had been nearly eighty as Miss Emily had been, in order to tell the story from their own perspective. Faulkner set up the story in Mississippi, in a world he knew of in his own lifetime. Inspired by a southern outlook that had been touched by the Civil War memory, the touch of what we would now look at as racism, gives the southern aroma of the period. It sets up Miss Emily’s southern belle status and social standing she had been born into, loner or not.
In William Faulkner’s story, “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner uses symbolism as a literary element to keep the reader interested in his writing. There are many characters and materials that Faulkner placed throughout the story with hidden meaning. When he describes dust being in a scene, the reader may scan over it, not giving the element much thought. The dust, however, does hold a significant message. Dust was present in Ms. Emily’s home all throughout the story. Ms. Emily spent most of her time in her home. She used her house to recluse herself from society and is also where she died. With this being said, dust is a reoccurring object throughout the story that symbolizes aging, the state of being a recluse, and death.
Growing up Emily was an all-around vibrant girl. Over time, she becomes a secretive old woman. In a “A Rose for Emily, “she was described as shuttered, dusty, and dark just like the outside of her home. She inherited mental illness from her father side. “She exhibits the qualities of the stereotypical southern “eccentric”: unbalanced, excessively tragic, and subject of a bizarre behavior” (SparkNotes Editors 2007, pg 4). When her father passed away, she refused to give up his body. In all, Emily is a scared soul whose loneliness and co-dependent upbringing let her to remain socially unfit, and unable to make healthy human connections (Enotes, 2016 pg 1). Her upbringing slowly affected her ability to function like the rest of the townspeople. The townspeople never labeled her with a mental illness, but she was constantly talked about because of the relationship she had with Homer, and curiosity of the way Emily was living got the best of the
Emily’s father rose her with lots of authority, he might had ruined her life by not giving her the opportunity to live a normal lady/woman life; but he build a personality, character and a psycho woman. Mister Grierson was the responsible for Emily’s behavior, he thought her to always make others respect her. Homer’s actions of using her as a cover to his sexuality was not respectful at all, Emily did not know any better and poison him to death.
Homer was the main representative of Yankee views towards the Griersons and the entire South, a situation of the present. Emily held the view of the past as if it were a rose-tinted place where nothing would ever die. Her world was already the past. Whenever the modern times were about to take hold of her, she retreated to that world of the past, and took Homer with her. Her room upstairs was that place, a place where Emily could stay with dead Homer forever as though no death nor disease could separate them.
“A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner takes us back in time with his Gothic short story known as, “A Rose for Emily.” Almost every sentence gives a new piece of evidence to lead the reader to the overall theme of death, isolation, and trying to maintain traditions. The reader can conclude the theme through William Faulkner’s use of literary devices such as his choice of characters, the setting, the diction, the tone, and the plot line. William Faulkner introduces us to a number of characters but the most involved being Emily Grierson, Homer Barron, Tobe, and the ladies of the town; who are not named individually. Emily Grierson was once a beautiful and wealthy upper class young women who lived with her father, who has since died, on the towns,
“Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” (Twain) The Nobel Prizes were established all the way back in 1895 by a Swedish inventor by the name of Alfred Nobel. He established a foundation that was dedicated to encouraging achievement and diplomacy, this foundation most commonly referred to as the distributer of the Nobel Prizes. These prizes are awarded for outstanding contributions in a wide array of subjects including; physics, chemistry, literature, peace, physiology, medicine and economic sciences. Author William Faulkner is just one recipient of the prize for literature. He received his award in 1950, and while doing so, delivered a speech that will forever live among the most compelling examples of oration in history. Faulkner’s speech centered on the idea of what literature had become at the time, and what he felt it needed to be. The reception of this price immediately listed Faulkner as one of the most important individuals in literature at the time, one of his most prominent texts titled A Rose for Emily, just one example of what he discussed writing should be in his prize acceptance speech. In William Faulkner’s text A Rose for Emily he provides an incredible example of what he believes is a writer’s duty to his readers.
Faulkner writes “A Rose for Emily” in the view of a memory, the people of the towns’ memory. The story goes back and forth like memories do and the reader is not exactly told whom the narrator is. This style of writing contributes to the notions Faulkner gives off during the story about Miss Emily’s past, present, and her refusal to modernize with the rest of her town. The town of Jefferson is at a turning point, embracing the more modern future while still at the edge of the past. Garages and cotton gins are replacing the elegant southern homes. Miss Emily herself is a living southern tradition. She stays the same over the years despite many changes in her community. Even though Miss Emily is a living monument, she is also seen as a burden to the town. Refusing to have numbers affixed to the side of her house when the town receives modern mail service and not paying her taxes, she is out of touch with reality. The younger generation of leaders brings in Homer’s company to pave the sidewalks. The past is not a faint glimmer but an ever-present, idealized realm. Emily’s morbid bridal ...
Although I do not agree with how Miss Emily Grierson behaved, but I do not blame her. Harbored from reality her entire life I can expect for her to do some unordinary things. I feel bad for Miss Emily because she was the center of attention in a modernized town where she still practiced her traditional values. Through the eyes the townspeople we get our views of Emily at a distance. Had the story been told from Emily’s perspective we could better understand her reasoning for her bizarre behavior.
Miss Emily’s isolation is able to benefit her as well. She has the entire town believing she is a frail and weak woman, but she is very strong indeed. Everyone is convinced that she could not even hurt a fly, but instead she is capable a horrible crime, murder. Miss Emily’s actions range from eccentric to absurd. After the death of her father, and the estrangement from the Yankee, Homer Barron, she becomes reclusive and introverted. The reader can find that Miss Emily did what was necessary to keep her secret from the town. “Already we knew that there was one room in that region above stairs which no one had seen in forty years” (247).
In “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner, Emily Geierson is a woman that faces many difficulties throughout her lifetime. Emily Geierson was once a cheerful and bright lady who turned mysterious and dark through a serious of tragic events. The lost of the two men, whom she loved, left Emily devastated and in denial. Faulkner used these difficulties to define Emily’s fascinating character that is revealed throughout the short story. William Faulkner uses characterization in “A Rose for Emily”, to illustrate Miss Emily as a stubborn, overly attached, and introverted woman.
In Faulkner’s tale “A Rose for Emily” there are many historical elements throughout the story; Faulkner uses them to give an authentic feel to the story and to add to the setting. A recurring theme that I found was reference to the reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. The setting of the South after their demise in the Civil War adds character to the story and to the characters. The attitudes people had and the way people treated Emily with respect was a tradition of the “Old South” that is presented throughout this tale.
When approaching middle age, Emily met and easily fell in love with Homer Barron, a worker came from Northern American to build the rail way. For Emily, love was the only reason to step out the “big, squarish frame house that had once been white” house. At first, she held her head high sitting on the chaise with Homer crossing the streets while people living in the town were all whispering “Poor Emily” and she even carried her pitiful dignity after he finally left her. As William Faulkner wrote: “She carried her head high enough even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness.” After that, people saw her again when she was buying poison. “She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye sockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keeper's face ought to look.” As the druggist asked her the purpose of buying arsenic, “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.” Dignity is for people to see. Miss Emily only longed to love, but if she could not have love, then she kept it with