Foreshadowing in William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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In the story, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner the chronology of the story is chopped into pieces and moved around for the reader’s viewing pleasure. William Faulkner demonstrates how giving away part of the ending before the story has begun obligates the reader to investigate the story in order to get the rest of the ending, all the while building suspense for the reader, and building the storyline. The story starts off with part of the ending, which pulls the reader into the rest of the story. Right from the start, the story pulls the reader into what’s going on by giving them the line, “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral…” (pg.130) That line makes the reader think to themselves “Why would an entire town go to a funeral?” And it’s true, what makes Emily Grierson so important that the entire town would go to her funeral? Maybe she was a magic healer or something, the reader just doesn’t know. And because the reader doesn’t know, human nature comes into play and curiosity takes its toll on the reader pushing them to read more. Then, further down ...

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