A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

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Recommended: The Importance of Plot in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

The short story “A Rose for Emily” is a gloomy piece written by William Faulkner. Faulkner successfully uses a reminiscent tone to illustrate how Emily’s popularity or status in societythe legacy of the Grierson family name, kept the town of Jefferson onlookers blinded from the truth that Emily Griersonshe tragically murdered her lover, Homer Barron. This story is a far cry from today’s reality, because the fact is that in today’s society when people’s lives are in the spotlight, as Emily’s is, onlookers like to pry and investigate any suspicious behavior. The The narrator is using’s use of the word “we” whileen giving flashbacks into Emily’s past, which suggests that these flashbacks are recollections from multiple people. It is clear that the narrator is piecing together all the circumstantial evidence collected from the people aroundthat Emily’s home town of Jefferson. This circumstantial evidence could have indicted Emily of Homer’s murder, but not one person attempts to investigate the suspicious circumstances before Emily’s death. could have indicted her for Homer’s murder before she died. Faulkner’s use of first-person shows Emily is ’s popularita well-knowny member of this town, because she is the last remaining person in Jefferson from the famous Grierson bloodlineand importance to the people of the town, which is also, which gives reason the reason the people of Jefferson to why they igignored the obvious clues that Emily is mentally deranged andwas mentally unstable, due to the death of her father, and capable of pre-meditated murder. Throughout the narrators’ recollections of Emily’s past, many given details proveare given on howwhenywhen, why, and how Homer may have may have died. Emily’s father drove men away fro... ... middle of paper ... ...espectful to this town monument. Emily’s bloodline had been so important to the town’s history, that it would have brought shame to question the Grierson family name. The reactions of the townsfolk to Emily’s behavior, leading up to Homers death, is completely different from the way today’s society would react; although, in the day and time of which this story, mental illness is something shameful, and something people do not address or acknowledge as a real medical problem. Today, someone with the slightest bit of riches or fame are publicly scrutinized and all of their private actions and secrets are made public by the media, for the world to see and hear. Why the townsfolk of Jefferson protected Emily, by not investigating is debatable; however, it appears that her family’s significance to the town played a major role in Emily’s ability to get away with murder.

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