Misguided Society

In William Faulkner’s stories, A Rose for Emily, and Barn Burning characters from two different social status’ fight against society in a decaying south. The first victim is Emily Grierson from A Rose for Emily. The second is Abner Snopes from Barn Burning.

Emily Grierson’s background is a shady one. Her father is over protective and loving. It was said that he helped the town they lived in by bailing them out financially. “…the mayor…remitted her taxes, the dispensation dating from the death of her father on into perpetuity…Miss Emily’s father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred this way of repaying” (90-91). Once Emily’s father passed, the new town mayor came asking for taxes owed. Emily is overwhelmed with this accusation and screamed and protested that we do not owe any taxes. “I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me” (91). Having felt bad for Emily the mayor leaves empty handed.

When Emily starts dating Homer Barron the town is overjoyed to see this woman finally moving on, and not being a hermit in her house. “She will marry him” (94). The only problem with this relationship is that it has a turn for the worst. One fateful day the townspeople stop seeing Homer Barron out and about. “’I want some poison’, she said. ‘Yes, Miss Emily. What kind?’… ‘Arsenic,’ Miss Emily said. ‘Is that a good one’” (94)? Some think that he went back to his home town and others believe that he and Emily have eloped and are living together in her house. Little to their knowledge but Emily has killed Homer in hopes that he would never leave her. The issue in her society is that coming from a well to do family and a father that has too much say in her relat...

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...of course say that it is inappropriate and morally wrong. However, we must think of how Abner is feeling. He believes that because of his social status that he needs to prove himself worthy by setting a blaze other people’s hard work.

Contrasting the lives of Emily and Abner is very easy. We look at Emily who is well to do and has general psychological issues that we can easily identify today. Then we see Abner who is very poor and must rely on the land of others to make a living. The things these two characters share in common is that the South has turned them against their own societies in ways we couldn’t fathom in modern times.

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 8th Ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 90-96. Print.

Faulkner, William. "Barn Burning." Bedford/St. Martin's. 418-29.