A Rose For Emily Foreshadowing Essay

“A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner is a story of the life of an odd lady named Emily Grierson. William Faulkner describes Emily as an strange woman through specific details by using foreshadowing throughout the story. He mentions of Emily from when she was young to where she died as an old lady cooped up in her house. After analyzing all the details from the story the reader will realize that it creates mystery and slow pacing throughout the story. William Faulkner uses foreshadowing in “A Rose For Emily” to create mystery and suspense within the story.
The author uses a series of actions through Miss Emily to create mystery and suspense in the reader. To begin, the author describes a stench coming from Emily’s house arising from her

cellar door. The author states, “They crept quietly across the lawn and into the shadow of the locusts that lined the street. After a week or two the smell went away”(Faulkner 4).The author describes of men going into her yard to get rid of the smell that was coming from her cellar door. The smell that was coming from the cellar door will later lead the reader thinking on what the snitch truly is. After analyzing the evidence that was coming from Miss Emily’s house it creates a mystery that will lead to the end of the story. Furthermore, the author describes Miss Emily wanting to buy arsenic from some odd reason. The text states, “I want arsenic.’ ’The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. “Why, of course,” the druggist said. “If that’s what you want. But the law requires you tell what you are going to use it for” (Faulkner 6).From the evidence of the story the author shows of Emily going to buy arsenic from the druggist. The poison that she bought will later on be put to use later on throughout the story. After analyzing the statement of Emily buying a poison called arsenic it is clear that it creates mystery and suspense that goes back to foreshadowing. After inspecting the specific details the author demonstrates of Emily who develops mysteries and suspense throughout the story is being revealed through foreshadowing.

Furthermore, the author creates a flashback toward when Miss Emily was alive who had been a well known person throughout the town.

The author states, “Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town”(Faulkner 1)... The evidence that the author gives is a flashback when Miss Emily was alive. When Miss Emily was alive the town thought of her being an tradition because her father helped the town out with money. From what has been observed the author has created an flashback when Miss Emily was still alive. Also, the author creates a slow pacing description of Miss Emily. The text states, “They rose when she entered--a small, fat women in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head” (Faulkner 2). The author describes what Miss Emily looks like which is creating a slow pace throughout the story. He describes everything about her which is making the story much slower so it will not finish early. After analyzing the evidence from the story it clearly gives a demonstration of a slow pace throughout the story. From what has been observed the author has revealed that there is a flashback and a slow pace throughout the story by going back to where Miss Emily was still alive and a description of what she looked

like.
William Faulkner has created a story with mystery, flashback, and slow pacing. The author’s idea was to describe how unusual Miss Emily was throughout the story through manipulating time. Through “A Rose For Emily,” Faulkner makes the reader think of what’s going to happen in the end by creating mystery’s, flashbacks, and slow pacing. After what has been observed the author has created a tension through the reader's mind from the beginning of the story to the end of it.