...Gabriel Roncal Dr. Reginald Abbott ENGL 1102-265 28 February 2013 The Southern Book of no changes: An Analysis of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” From Lao Tzu One of the five classics of Taoism, the I Ching or Book of Changes, states that the world and life are always changing, and that only the superior man is meant to overcome these special circumstances. In A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, the main character Miss Emily Grierson isolates herself from reality and makes the decision of defying the human necessity to adapt. In this way, Faulkner uses this story to illustrate the audience about the incapacity of the South to accept change after the Civil War. Once the North beat the South, many southerners did not accept the fact that their lives had changed. They clung to the past and rejected the new vision of America. Emily’s personality represents this last try to stand firm to the old traditions of the South. In the beginning of the story, the reader can observe that even her property is a holdout: "But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of the neighborhood; only now Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pump-a eyesore among eyesores" (Faulkner, 91)....
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...In the short story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner an earnest and forthright tone is present due to several archetypes, numerology, and types of characters presented by the author. However, a few seem to be clearer when establishing the tone of the story. Emily is seen as a vampire archetype due to her corrupt values and dual nature. Numerology is found in order to institute the intense and direct tones. Also, Emily and her father as seen as parallel characters because of their similarities, in return are making the tone even more clear to the reader. Many examples of numerology can be found in this story to help establish the earnest and forthright tone. The number thirty appears several times throughout the story. “So she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before the smell” (Faulkner 30). Thirty as a number can represent dedication to a task after physical or mental maturity. With Emily’s father gone and her having full responsibility for herself, she feels she can do almost anything. Even murder her lover, Homer, in order for him to stay in her life forever. She has an intense and sincere state of mind. The number thirty can also represent the sacrificial blood of Jesus, due to Judas betrayal of Judas for thirty coins. Emily remained single even until she was thirty years old, “So when she got to be thirty and was still single, we were not pleased exactly, but vindicated” (Faulkner 31). Yes, it appeared she was single...
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...Maryana Kovalchuk Intro to Literature ENG-125F-S02 Professor Lewis 04 October 2014 Emily Grierson: A Fallen Monument William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” shows the effect of Emily Grierson’s gruesome mental health as a result of relationships with Homer Barron and her father. In addition, Emily Grierson lives according to her own disturbing ideas of situations and goes against societal norms and expectations. Although she may be an outsider from the community, her deserted private life remains a mystery among the community, with her life being a “trending topic” discussed periodically by her neighbors. Within the five sections of the story, we can grasp and understand Emily’s outstandingly yet mysterious life and personality as a result of her father, Homer and her isolation from the community. Emily’s character and personality can be widely characterized as a result of the numerous events that took place in her life. First, we learn the Grierson’s always thought highly of their selves more than they actually were (158). We would think Emily would have lived a confident, happy life without no worries or troubles. She was lucky enough to be remitted from her taxes from Colonel Sartoris (156), thanks to her father lending money to the community (156). However, her father played a huge role in why she remained single till she was thirty years old. Her father was a “spraddled silhouette in the foreground (159)” in her life, symbolizing how her life was filled...
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...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...
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...Dhal Wayne Lorenzo October 12, 2012 ENG251 Symbolism in A Rose for Emily What if you had a life full of people that only saw you as just an object for your entire life? Having to suffer loneliness through your entire life and having everyone you ever loved and cared about leave you as you pass into the next life. A rose for Emily is just the story that sets you in a setting that shows you the true colors of everyone around you and how everyone one in your life truly viewed you. From the beginning this story follows Emily and her life in her town within her home. With this story and all its symbols and clues, what really stood out is the setting. Her home is the biggest symbol in her life because that is where her whole life is set and that's where important events were experience, all the way to her death. As we explore this major symbol in this tragic story we can see may different reasons why her home is important. From the beginning of her life, with her father purchasing her home, to how she lived and was talked about by the townspeople, to her passing where she lost all her loved ones in a tragic lonely ending. From the beginning, the story is told by a number of perspectives and are always going back to Emily's home. Her home was once one of the most envious homes around in their town because of its size and looks. Like the text describes “It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily...
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...Literary Analysis of “A Rose for Emily” In the story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, Emily Grierson is well known for her sorrowful background due to the loss of her governing father and status of isolation. In addition to Faulkner’s one-of-a-kind narration, he constructs a complex chronology that allows the reader to gradually become aware of facts, motivations, events, and emotions. Though Faulkner’s technique in “A Rose for Emily” may initially be a bit confusing, it reminds the reader this story is not one that can necessarily be told with simplicity, for there can be many answers to one question and many questions to one remark. One may think that the townspeople could easily be considered the antagonist, and while this may be true, Faulkner provides perspectives of all characters allowing the readers to perhaps question if there could be more than one. The townspeople made Miss Emily the talk of the town, making sure she was constantly being secluded. They eventually stopped sending their children to her China painting lessons, and pressured her to the point where she killed her lover in order to feel she had not lost her dignity. Essentially, they played a significant role in the death of Homer Barron, ruining their relationship with talk of disapproval. The townspeople could have possibly been well informed of their action, which can lead the to fact that it was not chosen to investigate Homer’s disappearance or prosecute Emily for that matter. The town antagonizes...
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...Literary Analysis A Rose for Emily: William Faulkner William Faulkner first published “A Rose for Emily” in 1930; however, this short story resides in a small southern town during the post-Civil War period. During this age in time, the Unites States was going through major political changes. But Ms. Emily was not ready for change. Faulkner uses repugnant imagery and a unique narration style to explore a woman’s inability to cope with death and change throughout the community and within herself (Perry 40). Growing up in the Grierson family, Emily knew her family was powerful and popular, and she was fortunate enough to live surrounded by love and luxury. Emily’s father loved her dearly and only wanted the best for her, but most of the time he was a little over protective and perceived to control his daughter’s life. He felt as if no man could ever be good enough for his one and only. The Griersons were definitely different from every other household in the small southern town of Jefferson, and Emily’s father made sure everyone knew of this. Since Emily’s father was a tyrant throughout her life, she rarely got the chance to enjoy anything outside of the Grierson residence (Watkins 509). The early agony that Emily had to tolerate created a permanent emotional cripple to her life. Emily most likely did not have a concrete idea of how a real family should function and cooperate, especially with the absence of a mother figure. Other than the Grierson family servants, Emily lived...
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...Ciniso Shabangu 103025611 A Rose for Emily Due Dec. 5h A. When I first met Emily while reading the story, I thought she was a role model and inspiration to the town of Jefferson, but that wasn’t the truth about her as the story goes on. B. Emily is a victim of circumstances such as the pressure from the town and the status she had that led her into committing murder. I can relate to Emily in this case where you really love someone such that you contemplate about killing them or finding all possible means to keep them in your life. The future and its outcome at this moment she did not consider except fulfilling the desires of her heart and holding to the person her lover. C. Emily was insane. The insanity defense generally requires that, at the time of the offense, the defendant, as a result of severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate that his actions were wrong. Some classic example of mental illness are mental retardation or post-traumatic stress disorder, or even anti-social personality disorder. The defense requires a showing of severe mental disease or defect. This requirement prevents use of the insanity defense by those who have an immature personality or have displayed a pattern of anti-social behavior. The temporary insanity plea is associated with crimes of passion, but it still is used less than is commonly thought. Evidence 1 “Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the...
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...Love that Kills William Faulkner’s famous short story “A Rose for Emily”, is about a woman who some say is mentally insane. Starting out in the beginning of the short story, Miss. Emily, who is the main character, passes away. Thirty years prior to Miss. Emily passing away, her father had just died. Miss Emily denied her father’s passing for three days before she let the townspeople take him away and bury him. After her father passed away Miss Emily stayed in her house for a long time before she was seen again. She finally emerges when a man by the name of Homer Baron. Miss. Emily becomes very fond of this man despite the fact of everyone trying to end their relationship. Towards the closing of the story, Miss. Emily buys arsenic but will...
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...apparent throughout the text. In Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, the theme lies in the story of Miss Emily herself. From the very beginning the audience is thrown into Emily Grierson’s “tragic” backstory filled with love, loss, and heartache. The townspeople share the story of the notorious Emily Grierson, highlighting the parts of her life that were most crucial to her character. The theme of “A Rose for Emily” is simply that life is tragic and the objective is to rise above it. In situations such as the death of Emily’s father, the sickness induced by her loss, and the “disappearance” of Homer Barron, the audience can see that Emily Grierson’s own life was riddled with tragedy...
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...Annotation: A Rose for Emily By: William Faulkner William Faulkner’s short story A Rose for Emily starts out with the death of Miss Emily Grierson, whose funeral was attended by the entire town. Emily, a woman who was frowned upon, judged, and yet the fascination of the townspeople, was known by some and unknown to others. Although the story starts off with her death, it continues on to an overview of her life as a lonely, poor, and mysterious woman. The townspeople spent their time gossiping about her love life, her “Northern” boyfriend’s disappearance, her exemption for paying taxes, and the fact that she suddenly became a recluse—not leaving her house for the past 10 years. There are moments the townspeople felt pity for her, recalling...
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...entails. This is no less true in southern gothic writing and in the writings of William Faulkner. Published on April 30, 1930 in a major magazine at the time, Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” showcases the life of Ms. Emily Grierson, a local townswoman, and is captured in a mysterious and eventually horrific context that allows the reader to understand the sadness and morbid side of death. The story is a set in a southern context that Faulkner knew all too well and contains implications of contrasts between northern and southern society. Faulkner uses many different elements in this work to portray death in its entire grotesque and horrifying splendor. Particularly, Faulkner uses two certain elements to accomplish this task. Faulkner successfully conveys the theme of the power of death in “A Rose for Emily” by incorporating the use of the literary elements of foreshadowing and narrative voice. Faulkner’s use of foreshadowing works to reveal the theme of death in this work rather well. The story is divided into five different passages, each detailing a progression towards death – the end of Emily Grierson’s life. Just by listening to Faulkner’s tone in the first sentence and throughout the rest of the work, the reader can easily determine there is a definite presence of foreshadowing: “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see...
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...A Rose for Emily tells of a woman named Emily Grierson who lived in the South where a rigid class structure determined the expectations regarding a person’s behavior and society’s treatment of them. Miss Emily was the daughter of a rich upper class man who was quite influential in the community of Jefferson so it was expected that the community respect his daughter, Emily. Many allowances were made for Miss Emily’s bizarre behavior because of Mr. Grierson’s standing in the community. Miss Emily did not pay property taxes because of past favors that her father had done for the town. Emily’s marriage to Homer Barron could have been seen as a disgrace because of her husband’s place of birth and occupation, he was a Northerner and a day laborer, but the marriage gave Emily the opportunity to redeem herself by performing the role of a wife, which was expected of a woman with such a high status in society. Miss Emily represented women in society who were unable to find happiness because of a stifling class system that dictated the standards for living and prevented Emily from getting the medical help she needed during her times of deep suffering. Some of the townspeople could not fathom the courtship between Homer and Miss Emily since they felt that “even grief could not cause a real lady to forget noblesse oblige.” (p. 2172) They...
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...shown throughout the plots, and the characters in, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Birth Mark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Firstly, Faulkner illustrates obsession of romance through mortality. In addition, Emily’s obsessive illness of love over death it often seen throughout the plot. Lastly, Hawthorne demonstrates the obsession of mortality thorough romance, through the main protagonist, Aylmer in “The Birth Mark.” To compare, Emily and Aylmer believe their obsessive consequences was from the heart, despite their obsessive disorders. In “A Rose for Emily,” the protagonist, Emily displays the obsession through her isolation. Equally important, the theme of obsession works as a preeminent role through the protagonist. Emily was never allowed to be autonomous growing up, and she goes beyond the lines on maintaining a strong intimacy through her isolating lifestyle. In essence, Emily develops a mental illness from severe isolation due to the actions of her father. To compare, Faulkner shares a slice of evidence as to why Emily has an...
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...Traditionally, women have always been known as the less dominant sex, and are very reliable for a dominant male figures in their lives. In “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, the townspeople all gather at a funeral, and share their experiences of the deceased, Emily Grierson, who is expressed as weak, and very reliable of her father. Similarly, in a “Hills Like White Elephants” expresses a woman named Jig getting manipulated and controlled by her lover into getting an abortion. Both in a “Hills of White Elephants” and in “A Rose for Emily” in two very different worlds, but both are examples of two woman who both are weak on their own decisions and rely on a male figure for self-reliance. In a “Rose for Emily”, The townspeople express...
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