A Rose For Emily Suffering Analysis

Discuss the roles of human suffering in two test. You may want to think about the implications of suffering in class, gender, and social contexts.

In the stories “A rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, two women experience the physical and emotional suffering during the nineteenth century when there was the oppression of women’s rights. In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator’s husband drives her insane by simply attempting to cure her disease with a ‘rest cure’. Meanwhile, in “A rose for Emily”, Emily’s father overwhelmingly dominated Emily and separated her completely from the other people in the town and after Mr. Grierson’s death, which eventually leads to a situation where Emily

In “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the narrator is indeed suffering a postpartum depression since she is not allowed to see her newborn child. Her husband has to hire a babysitter Mary to take care of their child: “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby! And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous” (45). As a part of treatment for main character’s mental disorder, it was important to isolate her from their friends and family. More importantly, this treatment involves reducing the time together between infants and their mothers who have postpartum depression. Moreover, when her husband brought her to the mansion to give her a treatment, she wonders: “Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about [the house]. Else, why should it be let so cheaply?” (42). The doubt clearly shows that the narrator has a great imagination which might lead to unrealizable delusion in her mind.

Meanwhile, the protagonist in ‘A Rose for Emily” is isolated because she is incapable of accepting facts and to live independently. “The day after [her father] death, Miss Emily met [the ladies] at the door, dresses as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead” (101).

Emily’s reaction to her father’s death reveals her inability to accepting of let go of the past and as well as her inability to live independently.

None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (106). Emily’s father is quite a stern man who regards Emily as his own private property and thus dictates every facet of her life. While alive he believes that no one in Jefferson is good enough for Emily which leads to Emily is isolated from her fellow townspeople. Also, with the influence of her father, her father shaped her personality. After her father’s death, Emily continues to isolate herself from the other town people which seem as it was Emily’s father that taught her to be alone. In Emily’s old house, there is a printing that looks like this: “Her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back flung front door” (101). This printing reveals Emily has a family without love and joy but dread and her father the center of her life. The word ‘silhouette’ suggests that not only her father’ actual shadow is on her, but also the terrible effects, which will continue for the rest of her life. ‘his back to her; and ‘a horsewhip’ tells readers that as Emily’s father gives orders to her with absolute male authority, he does not care about her opinions and emotions. Thus, he is blamed for the tragedy of Emily’s