Sarah Price Kiggins English 2010 March 15, 2014 Red Revenge "A Rose for Emily" written by William Faulkner and "The Cask of Amontillado" written by Edgar Allen Poe are two short stories that were written almost a hundred years apart that have similar and different things about them. While two stories are similar in which they are about murder and the fact that the victims have no idea what is about to happen to them, they are different when it comes to the way they are written and the order they are written in. "A Rose for Emily" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are both short stories that are about murder. One way the two stories contradict each other is the order that they are told. "The Cask of Amontillado" has a chronological plot order as for "A Rose for Emily" is not in order and is told randomly. William Faulkner uses more of a media res then a chronological order. The short story, "A Rose for Emily", starts off with the narrator talking about Emily's funeral. "A Rose for Emily," is a story about a woman that didn't want to be left alone. After her father died she didn't want to be betrayed again by being left. She felt like her lover and her companion, Homer Barron, was going to leave to out of town and never return again. When Emily thought this, she knew that she had to some how make him stay. She went to the druggist and bought poison to kill Homer. Although it is not really clarified thats what she did, the fact that Homer Barron entered emily's house one day and was never seen again tells us thats what happened. "A neighbor saw the Negro man admit him at the kitchen door at dusk one evening. And that was the last we saw of Homer Barron" (Faulkner). Emily keeps him in the upstairs room in her bed and never tells any... ... middle of paper ... ...he Cask of Amontillado" Poe writes in first person. In the first paragraph and in the first sentence the narrator uses I. I indicates that the story is in first person. "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge"(Poe). He also uses words such as I replied to let us know that it is first person. "It is farther on," said I; "but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls." In Faulkner's story "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner choses to write his story in third person omniscient. He uses words such as she, he, she said and we. "I want some poison," she said to the druggist (Faulkner). "Arsenic," Miss Emily said" (Faulkner). Faulkner also defines the Main characters through a countless amount of supporting characters and imagery . Poe allows us to get inside the head of the character.
One of the most famous authors in American history is Edgar Allen Poe, thanks to his intricate and unsettling short stories and poems. One of the strongest aspects of Poe’s writing style is the allure and complexity of the narrator of the story. These narrators, ranging from innocent bystanders to psychotic murderers, add depth to such a short story and really allow Poe to explore the themes of death and murder which he seems to have an unhealthy obsession towards. Furthermore, he uses these narrators to give a different perspective in each of his many works and to really unsettle the reader by what is occurring throughout the story. The narrators, whether an innocent witness of death as in "The Fall of the House of Usher" or a twisted murderer as in "The Cask of Amontillado" are used by Poe to discuss the themes of death and murder within these stories and, depending on their point of view, give a different take on such a despicable act such as murder.
“A Rose for Emily” is written in the first person plural, allow the citizens of the town to recount the story. This point of view has been debated by scholars due to its collective language of “we”, which set Emily apart from the town’s citizens. Helen E. Nebeker writes in her literary criticism, “Emily’s Rose of Love: Thematic Implication of Point of View in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”: “The thesis of this paper simply stated, is that forty years of critical study of Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily”, has failed to come to...
...person, unlike A Rose for Emily, it is safe to say that The Narrator is in fact insane. With the old man dead The Narrator would have been able to live a happy life, or so he thought. Although her reason was never stated in the story, one can safely assume that Miss Emily was happy lying in the arms of her dead lover. Both Faulkner and Poe show us in their stories that even if there are different characters, points of views or reasons for killing a loved one, there are still similarities.
Irony and symbolism are tools used in writing to convey individual messages throughout the story. It is Edgar Allan Poe’s intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that gives this short story its suspense and horror filled theme.
As Faulkner begins “A Rose for Emily” with death of Emily, he both immediately and intentionally obscures the chronology of the short story to create a level of distance between the reader and the story and to capture the reader’s attention. Typically, the reader builds a relationship with each character in the story because the reader goes on a journey with the character. In “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner “weaves together the events of Emily’s life” is no particular order disrupting the journey for the reader (Burg, Boyle and Lang 378). Instead, Faulkner creates a mandatory alternate route for the reader. He “sends the reader on a dizzying voyage by referring to specific moments in time that have no central referent, and thus the weaves the past into the present, the present into the past. “Since the reader is denied this connection with the characters, the na...
What do you think of when you hear the name “Edgar Allan Poe?” The words dark, creepy, and even scary may come to mind. The Cask of Amontillado shows how far a vengeful narrator is willing to go to restore his honor and dignity, all the while creating a creepy atmosphere with a mix of both symbolism and irony. It’s no wonder Poe was considered a great master of horror.
First, why does Faulkner present the plot in the way that he does? There can be numerous answers to this question, but I have narrowed it down to one simple answer. He presented the story in this way in order to keep the reader guessing and to also provide some sort of suspense. By Faulkner telling the story in the way that he does, the reader has no way of knowing what might be coming up next in the story. The last thing that a reader wants to do is read a boring story that is easy to predict. Faulkner keeps the reader from knowing what might happen next by not placing the events in the actual order that they occurred. He goes back and forth throughout Miss Emily’s life. At the introduction and conclusion of the story, she is dead, while the body consists of the times when she was alive. The body of the story also jumps back and forth throughout Miss Emily’s life. Faulkner brilliantly divided the story into five key parts, all taking place at some key
In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor sets out on a vengeful mission that will end Fortunato’s life in an untimely fate. Montresor appeals to Fortunato’s love for wine to tempt the unsuspecting fellow to his impending doom. While Montresor tricks the foolish Fortunato frightfully, it is ultimately Fortunato’s pride that leads to his demise in the crypt. Poe uses several literary devices to foreshadow this murderous exploit of Montresor. Through the use of irony, symbolism, and imagery, the story entices readers to delve into the relationships and differences between Montresor and Fortunato.
The Cask of Amontillado uses a number of symbols throughout the story. Symbolism is what help convey the message that Edgar Allen Poe sends to his readers. The symbols that were used in the story were the names of Fortunado and Montresor, the title of the story, Fortunado’s conical cap, the setting, and the heraldry.
Through the use of setting, characterization and theme Faulkner was able to create quite a mysterious and memorable story. "A Rose for Emily" is more than just a story though; her death represents the passing of a more genteel way of life. That is much more saddening than the unforgettable scene of Homer's decaying body. The loss of respect and politeness is has a much greater impact on society than a construction worker who by trade is always trying to change things. Generation after generation Miss Emily happily escaped modernism by locking herself in her house the past.
William Faulkner is widely considered to be one of the great American authors of the twentieth century. Although his greatest works are identified with a particular region and time (Mississippi in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), the themes he explores are universal. He was also an extremely accomplished writer in a technical sense. Novels such as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! feature bold experimentation with shifts in time and narrative. Several of his short stories are favorites of anthologists, including "A Rose for Emily." This strange story of love, obsession, and death is a favorite among both readers and critics. The narrator, speaking for the town of Jefferson in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, tells a series of stories about the town's reclusive spinster, Miss Emily Grierson. The stories build up to a gruesome revelation after Miss Emily's funeral. She apparently poisoned her lover, Homer Barron, and kept his corpse in an attic bedroom for over forty years. It is a common critical cliche to say that a story "exists on many levels." In the case of "A Rose for Emily", this is the truth. Critic Frank A. Littler, in an essay published in Notes on Mississippi Writers regarding the chronology of the story, writes that "A Rose for Emily" has been read variously as ". . .a Gothic horror tale, a study in abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time, and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine." These various interpretations serve as a good starting point for discussion of the story.
Poe starts out with a man, by the name of Montresor, wanting revenge on another man, named Fortunato. Most of the story takes place deep in the Montresor family catacombs. As Montresor lures Fortunato into the catacombs, he chains Fortunato up to a small hole in a wall, bricks it over, and leaves Fortunato to die. Even through the traits of anger, hatred, and revenge, as the story progresses on, Montresor, the main character in “The Cask of Amontillado”, starts to show signs of feeling guilty for wanting to murder Fortunato.
William Faulkner is the author of many famous titles. Interestingly enough, Faulkner never finished high school. He gained his skilled writing from reading many books and an interest in writing early in his life. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Faulkner noted that it is the writer 's duty, “To help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. One of his most famous texts that he wrote was A Rose for Emily. This story takes place from around 1875 to 1920, chronicling the life and death of Emily Grierson. In the short story, Emily’s father dies. The death seems to have a grave effect on her. Later, she then becomes acquainted with Homer Barron. All of the townspeople believe that Emily will marry Homer, but one day Homer walked into Emily’s house, and was never seen again. Emily, who has refused to pay her taxes since her father 's death, secludes herself from society and is later found dead in her house at age 74. William Faulkner, in his story, A Rose for Emily, Faulkner fulfills his own criteria for writing.
Edgar Allan Poe's strong use of symbols throughout "The Cask of Amontillado" is what makes this story worthy of examination. The clever use of these devices by the author to shape this horrifying and gripping short story has made this piece be regarded as a classic American horror story, which revolves around the theme of vengeance and pride.
Burduck, Michael L. "Another View of Faulkner's Narrator in 'A Rose for Emily'." The University of Mississippi Studies in English 8 (1990): 209-211. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2016. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 June 2016.