The Use Of Dust In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is about Emily Grierson, a girl who was once lively but then very becomes secretive and secluded. Faulkner uses many literary aspects throughout the story, however symbolism of the dust stands out the most. He uses the concept of dust in order to portray the past being “uncovered” and the truth revealing itself. Faulkner uses dust to unveil a reminder of the Old South in Emily’s house and again when the townspeople found Homer Barron, Emily’s sweetheart, dead and decaying after Emily’s funeral.
The first unveiling of dust in “A Rose for Emily” is when the aldermen arrive to try and request that Emily pays her taxes. As they entered Miss Emily’s house, the narrator describes it as smelling of “dust and disuse”. As they sat, the servant opened the window blinds and “a faint dust rose sluggishly about their thighs, spinning with slow motes in the single sun-ray” (Falkner 45). The sun-ray shines onto a portrait of Miss Emily’s father. This could be considered a reminder of the Old South and class distinction (Binder 7). The new generation’s visit and disturbance of the dust could also symbolize the change they have made to the South, yet in Miss Emily’s house the dust falls back covering

the furniture once again (Binder 7).
The next unveiling of dust happens after Miss Emily’s death when they find Homer’s body.

When the townspeople knew Emily was in the ground for sure, they went into the one room upstairs. They broke down the door and caused the room to be filled with “pervading dust” (Faulkner 39). It is as though the dust is uncovering the death of Homer Barron. His remains were covered in “an even coating of patient and biding dust” (Faulkner 40). This lets the reader know that the dust has not yet covered Homer’s body completely. The townspeople are still unaware of whether or not Homer knew Emily had poisoned him, or if he knew that Emily was still holding on to him even after his death. Although a mystery was uncovered, more still remain unsolved (Binder

7).
“Unlike memory and decay, some details of the past may remain undiscovered, but they still exist – “patient and binding” (502)” (Binder 7). At the end of the story, the townspeople find a grey strand of hair on the pillow beside Homer’s. This detail indicates that Emily had been lying next to Homer. The narrator describes it as “invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils” (Faulkner 40). In the last sentence of the short story, he suggests that the townspeople will have a continued impact of Emily Grierson; just like the dust lingering in their nostrils (Binder 7).
Faulkner uses dust to show the power of death and how it hangs over Emily throughout the short story, although she attempts to over power death by denying it not once but twice. The dust symbolizes how death can be over powered, but ends up landing right back where it was. Most would not notice the symbolism of the dust because it seems so small, yet it plays a big role in understanding Faulkner’s theme in “A Rose for Emily.”