Death And Isolation In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

1388 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme in a rose for emily

In William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily, the story follows Emily Grierson’s life after her father passes away. After her father’s death, Emily is stuck in a delusional state where time has stopped for her. In the town of Jefferson, time is progressing forward. Due to the difference in mental state between Emily and the town, a rift is created between the two. There exist two entities: Emily and the town. The distinction between the two causes Emily to be isolated. Due to being ostracized in the town, Emily denies and clings onto those who were close to her. Through the use of various literary devices, Faulkner is able to convey themes of change in the south, death and isolation. During the life of Emily’s father, he was pardoned from paying …show more content…

Time stopped for her. She could not open up and interact with the new generation. When there was a stench radiating off Emily’s home, many members of the community came to complain to the mayor about it. First, “A neighbor, a woman, complained to the mayor” (II). Soon after, he received two more complaints. Each one had a problem with the stench, but never approached Emily about it. Instead they turned to the mayor to solve the problem. The town was too afraid to accuse a lady like Emily for the terrible odor. Instead, the town decided to spread lime all over the yard at a time they believed Emily would not be awake. Faulkner uses this event to characterize the town as being separate from Emily. They are too afraid to approach Emily that they end up isolating her. No one wanted to overstep the bounds of not treating her as an Aristocrat that is above everyone else. As seen with the city officials asking her to pay the taxes, even when she was confronted, she denied the taxes she was obligated to pay as being part of the town. After the Homer’s disappearance, “for almost six months she did not appear on the streets” (V). Even her servant does not interact with Emily much. “He talked to no one, probably not even to her, for his voice had grown harsh and rusty, as if from disuse” (V). She was so afraid of losing Homer that she went and killed him

Show More
Related

  • Insanity in A Rose for Emily

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author, William Faulkner, has a collection of books, short stories, and poems under his name. Through his vast collection of works, Faulkner attempts to discuss and bring awareness to numerous aspects of life. More often than not, his works were created to reflect aspects of life found within the south. Family dynamics, race, gender, social class, war, incest, racism, suicide, necrophilia, and mental illness are just some of the aspects that Faulkner explored. In “A Rose for Emily” the aspects of necrophilia and mental illness along with the societal biases that were observed in a small-town setting are seen to be a part of this captivating story. These aspects ultimately intertwine with the idea of insanity that characterizes “A Rose for Emily.

    Read More

  • Overprotection And Death In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

    1963 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the course of a woman 's life there is vanity that prevails at first and slowly fades with the the mishaps or missed opportunities in life, for instance a once young and beautiful woman lets her surroundings affect the way she really wants to live and love. As to say, once a rose so vibrantly red and blossomed becomes withered and grey in waiting days. William Faulkner 's early 20th century story " A Rose for Emily," is an American gothic horror tale that shows the transition in Emily’s life of living her youth in the Old South and then getting older in a fast changing world that turns into the New South. Faulkner uses symbols of overprotection, emotional distress, and death through out the story to better describe the tragic life of Emily

    Read More

  • William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily : Her Father is to Blame

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. While having this attitude about life Emily practically secluded herself from society for the remainder of her life. She was alone for the very first time and her reaction to this situation was solitude.

    Read More

  • Isolation And Loneliness in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had

    Read More

  • Alienation and Isolation in William Falukners "A Rose For Emily"

    433 Words  | 1 Pages

    William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” displays themes of alienation and isolation. Emily Grierson’s own father is found to be the root of many of her problems. Faulkner writes Emily’s character as one who is isolated from the people of her town. Her isolation from society and alienation from love is what ultimately drives her to madness.

    Read More

  • Narrative Worth in A Rose for Emily

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Faulkner begins “A Rose for Emily” with death of Emily, he both immediately and intentionally obscures the chronology of the short story to create a level of distance between the reader and the story and to capture the reader’s attention. Typically, the reader builds a relationship with each character in the story because the reader goes on a journey with the character. In “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner “weaves together the events of Emily’s life” is no particular order disrupting the journey for the reader (Burg, Boyle and Lang 378). Instead, Faulkner creates a mandatory alternate route for the reader. He “sends the reader on a dizzying voyage by referring to specific moments in time that have no central referent, and thus the weaves the past into the present, the present into the past. “Since the reader is denied this connection with the characters, the na...

    Read More

  • Theme of Death in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a town's obsession.  The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople.  They witness Miss Emily's life, her father's death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover.  The theme of death runs throughout this tale, which is understandable considering the events that take place in the story.  Faulkner uses foreshadowing to foretell events that will transpire later in the story.  Because of this foreshadowing, a reader may not be shocked when a strange turn in the story occurs, because, it may seem familiar to him.  Faulkner's first use of foreshadowing begins with the death of Miss Emily.  The main character does not usually die in the first sentence of most works of fiction, but here Faulkner is foretelling the deaths of other characters that will follow.  The reader will learn more about Emily's life and death as the story unfolds.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Characterization In A Rose For Emily

    839 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner, Emily Geierson is a woman that faces many difficulties throughout her lifetime. Emily Geierson was once a cheerful and bright lady who turned mysterious and dark through a serious of tragic events. The lost of the two men, whom she loved, left Emily devastated and in denial. Faulkner used these difficulties to define Emily’s fascinating character that is revealed throughout the short story. William Faulkner uses characterization in “A Rose for Emily”, to illustrate Miss Emily as a stubborn, overly attached, and introverted woman.

    Read More

  • Characterization within A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator and opens with the death of Miss Emily Grierson, an elderly woman that the reader quickly learns that the town views more as a character than an actual human being. Through flashbacks, the mysterious and haunting tale of Emily is revealed. As a child, Emily was the member of an aristocratic family, but has now long been living in relative poverty in the former grand home of her family after her father left her with no money. The product of the Civil War South, Emily never moved past the social customs of her youth, and refused to live according to modern standards. This becomes evident when she accepts the mayor’s hidden charity under the guise of her never owing taxes due to a lie that her father had loaned the town money and this was how the town would re...

    Read More

  • Faulkner's Rose For Emily is a Portrait Of The Post War South

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily" is perhaps his most famous and most anthologized short story. From the moment it was first published in 1930, this story has been analyzed and criticized by both published critics and the causal reader. The well known Literary critic and author Harold Bloom suggest that the story is so captivating because of Faulkner’s use of literary techniques such as "sophisticated structure, with compelling characterization, and plot" (14). Through his creative ability to use such techniques he is able to weave an intriguing story full of symbolism, contrasts, and moral worth. The story is brief, yet it covers almost seventy five years in the life of a spinster named Emily Grierson. Faulkner develops the character Miss Emily and the events in her life to not only tell a rich and shocking story, but to also portray his view on the South’s plight after the Civil War. Miss Emily becomes the canvas in which he paints the customs and traditions of the Old South or antebellum era. The story “A Rose For Emily” becomes symbolic of the plight of the South as it struggles to face change with Miss Emily becoming the tragic heroin of the Old South.

    Read More

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

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    period in her life. These parts are prime examples of how Faulkner jumps back and forth throughout Emily’s lifetime. Part one begins with Emily’s funeral while part two begins “thirty years before”, “two years after her fathers death and a short time after her sweetheart”, Homer Barron. (93) Part three begins with her meeting Homer. This is interesting because the part before takes place after he dies. This also shows how Faulkner keeps one guessing with his unorthodox plot order. The next part talks of how Emily is planning to supposedly kill herself. It tells of how she buys the...

    Read More

  • Free Essay: Alienation and Isolation in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

    838 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Faulkner, one of the most famed writers of our times, explores in his writing the themes of alienation and isolation. He interweaves these themes with his female characters. In A Rose for Emily, Miss Emily Grierson is a woman who is alienated and lives in isolation from the people in her town. The theme of isolation is the focal point of the story, since it is what drove her to her madness.

    Read More

  • A Victim of Society in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, Emily, the protagonist, is shown as someone who’s life is falling apart and brought down by society. Emily in this story could be described as a victim to society and her father. Emily Grierson’s confinement, loss of her father and Homer, and constant criticism caused her, her insanity.

    Read More

  • Nick Melczarek

    1140 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author introduces the idea of “dead time” and the role it plays in the development of Faulkner’s story. Harris describes “dead time” as “a synthetic form or groundless foundation of time that lies moribund at the hollowed out core of the story.” He reflects on Faulkner’s technique for beginning the story with the funeral, followed by details from Emily’s past as a child, as an adult and even as an elderly lady, while still following the story of the mystery that surrounded Emily’s life in the mentioned years. Harris mentions that A Rose for Emily “is consistently punctuated by indicators of historical change... But on another level, the narrative consistently confuses the chronological order of these events.”

    Read More

  • Literary Elements in A Rose For Emily

    1692 Words  | 4 Pages

    In "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner's use of setting and characterization foreshadows and builds up to the climax of the story. His use of metaphors prepares the reader for the bittersweet ending. A theme of respectability and the loss of, is threaded throughout the story. Appropriately, the story begins with death, flashes back to the past and hints towards the demise of a woman and the traditions of the past she personifies. Faulkner has carefully crafted a multi-layered masterpiece, and he uses setting, characterization, and theme to move it along.

    Read More

More about Death And Isolation In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

Open Document