Penny Seilyon Chun (1449586)
Olumide Ogundipe
ENG 123 LEC
4 February 2015
The Inevitability of Death and Decay
The Theme of Death and Decay in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
Emily Grierson in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” unsuccessfully attempts to exert power over the inevitable death and decay that happens in her life. Her conflict with these dark aspects of being allows readers to understand that they are inevitable. Through the denial of the death of people in her life, disregard for the waning values of the south, as well as through murder,
Emily’s battle with death and decay is introduced in the story with her denial of the passing of the town sheriff, Colonel Sartoris, who “had been dead for almost ten years” (96), as well as the passing of her oppressive father, whose death she denies for three days. In these instances, she challenges death by simply rejecting the fact of the matter that these people that had once been in her life are no longer. She appears delusional as she argues with the city authorities, who ask Emily to pay her taxes. She tells them to “see Colonel Sartoris,” because she has “no taxes in Jefferson” (), seemingly unaware of his demise nearly a decade prior. Her mental instability is proven further immediately after the death of her father, when Emily tells the women of Jefferson, who arrive at her home to offer their condolences, that her “father is not dead” (). Because of extreme pressure from the townspeople, including doctors trying to dispose of her father’s body, she finally acknowledges his passing. Emily is unsuccessful in fighting death using denial.
Emily does not only deny the death and decay of the people in her life, but also the decay of her home, as well as the timeworn values of her city. Her house is introduced as “an eyesore among eyesores” and a “monument” (). Once the “most select street” () in Jefferson, Emily’s home is now an ugly testimony of a time long past. She does not acknowledge the decay of her home, and it becomes an object parallel to its owner’s mental state, a symbol of her internal decline. When “the next generation, with its more modern ideas” () update the city of Jefferson, Emily remains stuck in time, ignoring the diminishing values of the past, and the changing ideas of the south. She refuses to pay her taxes, “The next generation, with its more modern ideas
House, taxes, Jefferson, changing values of the south
Social status / mental and physical decay
Murder and decay