A Rose for Emily - 889 Words

Literary Analysis for â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Sometimes a Rose is Not a Rose: A Literary Analysis of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† In the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, written by William Faulkner, the negative impact of Emily’s upbringing by an overprotective father, leads to incredible pattern in her life and the obvious mental illness that takes over as she not so graciously ages. While written in five sections, the first and last section is written in present time, and the three middle sections in past tense. To set the stage for Emily’s drastic transformation from young girl to elderly woman, Faulkner uses characterization, setting and narration to show Emily’s lost state of mind and her desire to find and keep love at all cost as.†¦show more content†¦The setting of the story takes place in Faulkner’s make believe city of Yoknapatawpha, Mississippi. In a house that was once owned by the late Elder Grierson. When the townspeople finally enter the room upstairs that â€Å"no one had seen in forty years† (Faulkner, Section 5), they are stunned by the condition of Emily’s once grandeur house. Furthermore, the house that once set on the â€Å"most select street† (Faulkner, Section 1) was now surrounded by garages, cotton gins and was the only house left on the street. Although, once described as â€Å"a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies† (Harris), it is apparent that along with the family name, the family home had been on a downward spiral for many years. Although the story is told in first person, the narrator of the story is never named but it appears that the story could be told by any of the townspeople. It has been said that the narrators â€Å"function is to be a window pane or mirror upon the life of Miss Emily Grierson† (Sullivan). The narrator often uses a negative attitude toward both women and the African American race, furthermore making many statements in the short story that would not be acceptable in our society today. From â€Å"the female blacks in this town are not allowed out on the streets without aprons† (Faulkner, Section 1) to â€Å"it’s probably just a snake or ratShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"a Rose for Emily†1309 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Rose for Emily† Character Analysis of Miss Emily Grierson â€Å"A Rose for Emily† written by William Faulkner, is a story of Miss Emily Grierson, a woman who was born into a wealthy family in the town of Jefferson. She grew up and lived in a huge Victorian home with servants. After the Civil War, it seems that her family’s wealth started to diminish but the Grierson’s were still trapped in the past of their family’s wealth. Emily Grierson’s past and present life is being recalled by a narratorRead Morerose for emily1661 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ â€Å"A rose for Emily† â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a story about Emily Grierson who kills her Yankee boyfriend Homer Barron and lives with his body in her bedroom for over forty years. However, the story is not really about Miss Emily’s actions, but more about the society that made her into who she is and how it conflicted with the ever changing post southern civil war society. Miss Emily grew up as part of an aristocratic Southern family, with an overpowering father who refused to allow her to be courtedRead MoreA Rose for Emily’764 Words   |  3 Pagesis a much deeper and more significant’’. In a ‘’Rose for Emily’’ starts off were the people are in Emily’s funeral they describe her as the women she was a fallen monument. A number of personality and intent can be an indication of much larger plot in a rose for Emily by William Faulkner. She was I person that when she want something she would gated. A number of personality and intent can be an indication of much larger plot in a rose for Emily by William Faulkner. She was I person that whenRead MoreA Rose for Emily731 Words   |  3 Pageselements of â€Å"A Rose for Emily† Gothic can be defined as â€Å"literature dealing with the strange, mysterious, and supernatural designed to invoke suspense and terror in the reader.† (Pickering, 2004, p. 1425) Gothic literature generally presents the same themes and motifs: love lost, hidden secrets, love and death hand in hand, beauty, youth, grotesque characters, macabre eroticism, etc. Gothic literature also explores taboo subjects such as murder, suicide and incest. â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, by WilliamRead MoreRose for Emily1559 Words   |  7 PagesEscaping Loneliness In A Rose for Emily, William Faulkners 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-layeredRead MoreA Rose for Emily654 Words   |  3 PagesLasinda Lemons Professor Hix English 1302 Section 11417 October 2, 2006 A Rose for Emily In â€Å"A Rose for Emily† I feel the story is being narrated in third person not only by one person but also from several of the townspeople, most of those being white southern locals (based on the time period of the story). The story is set in Jefferson, Mississippi during the early 1900’s. The author of the story William Faulkner himself came from Mississippi, which is an inspiration for manyRead MoreA Rose for Emily1840 Words   |  8 PagesA Rose for Emily Essay Title: The Jealous Townspeople I. Thesis Statement: A Rose for Emily is a story of the envy harbored by the citizens in reaction to Miss Emily’s pride, reclusiveness, and heritage. II. A. Topic Sentence: Miss Emily’s heritage is the first and most important reason the town’s people were desirous of her. 1. Supporting Sentence: Miss Grierson was born into a prominent family the residents of her town recognized as being an old and distinguished family. Read MoreCharacter Analysis of Emily Rose in a Rose for Emily726 Words   |  3 PagesThe character Emily Rose in A Rose for Emily is considered a static character because; her traits throughout the story do not change. In the story she is deemed as quiet, inhuman and, even mad. However, through further inspection; there are characteristics displayed throughout the story that can possibly prove that Emily was a dynamic character. Throughout the piece Emily changes both mentally, socially and physically. Miss Emily, the main character of this story, lives for many years as a recluse;Read MoreEmily Grierson From A Rose For A Rose For Emily1233 Words   |  5 Pagescritical essay that Emily Grierson from a â€Å"Rose for ‘A Rose for Emily’† was empowered and victimized by her gender and class. However the girl from â€Å"Boys and Girls† and Gertrude from Hamlet had not been as lucky as Miss Emily. In a â€Å"Rose for ‘A Rose for Emily’† Emily Grierson was the daughter of Mr. Grierson, who was a respected man in Jefferson. After his death Miss Emily still conserved her title of a lady even if all the town folks knew that she didn’t have money left. Miss Emily took advantage of