William Faulkner's Short Stories

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Recommended: literary analysis rose for emily.

The stories we have been reading in class are all great examples of classic fiction literature, each having their own unique style and storylines. However, the two stories we have read in class written by William Falkner have really caught my attention. A Rose for Emily and Barn Burning were my favorite stories to read and study. What made them so interesting to me was the way that Falkner makes use of the main characters in the stories. Emily Grierson in A Rose for Emily and Abner Snopes in Barn Burning are two main characters who are interesting and add a completely different twist to the plots. Another element that stands out to me in these two stories is the setting in which both of these stories take place. Although the two are similar, both have unique factors in which provides the structure of the gothic theme in A Rose for Emily and the plot for Barn Burning. The third literary element for which Falkner uses excellently in these stories is symbolism. Not only do these symbols relate to the main themes of the works, but they really give the stories that classic Falkner feel to them. The main characters in A Rose for Emily and Barn Burning, along with the setting and symbols, provide these stories with a backbone for which the themes are built around. Emily Grierson in A Rose for Emily and Abner Snopes in Barn Burning are characters who are mostly flat and not too dynamic throughout each of their individual stories. Although these characters do not change much as the story goes on, they are still very interesting and hold tremendous value towards the overall plot of the stories. These two characters are really different and contrast each other very well. Abner Snopes has lived most of his life as a servant and is on the low... ... middle of paper ... ...es in the south have also affected Falkner's writing style. Works Cited McGuire, Marty. A Rose for Emily and Barn Burning. Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Getty, Laura J. "Falkner's A Rose for Emily." Explictor 63.4 (2005): 230-234. Literary Reference Center. Web 16 Apr. 2014 Zender, Karl F. "Character And Symbol In Barn Burning." College Literature 16.(1989): 48-59. Humanities Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Shrader, Laura. "Symbolism of the Rose in "A Rose for Emily"" Suite. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Smith, Nicole. "Faulkner's A Rose for Emily: Fallen Monuments and Distorted Relics." Myriad. N.p., 17 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. Zender, Karl F. "Character and Symbol in 'Barn Burning'." College Literature 16.1 (1989): 48-59. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Literature Resource Center. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

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