Rose For Emily By Faulkner Essay Example For Students

Rose For Emily By Faulkner Essay In the story, A Rose for Emily, by William Faulkner, Miss EmilyGriersons struggle with her family, her town, and herself makes her do thingsthat are out of the norm. Her struggle makes her act inhuman and deranged. Emily is a living a very sheltered life. Miss Emily struggles, in this story,with herself and the society around her. Emily Grierson became very heartless inthe eyes of the reader and even a little demented all because of her shelteredlifestyle, closed environment and, conflict with the townspeople. She knew thatthe people of her town were talking about her. However, she ultimately let theirgossip influence her life. Some think that Emilys actions were based on thetownspeoples attitudes toward her. Others may say that her father shaped heractions. However, Emilys father, the townspeople, and even Emily herselfshaped her motives. They were the driving forces behind Emilys action. Thisstruggle between an individual and the society that attempts to restricther (Brooks ; Warren 158) would be unbearable for Miss Emily. This iswhat ultimately leads to her downfall. Through imagery and conflict, the readercan witness how all of this is true. As Faulkner begins this story, the readerquickly learns that this piece is going to be about death and dying. Not so muchas physical death, although physical death is also apparent, but spiritual,mental, and social decay. The physical death is opened to the reader in thefirst line of this short story. The storyteller informs the reader by saying,when Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral Justby this line the reader wonders if the town was sad to see Miss Emily past away,or were they glad. Later in the story, the reader finds out that the townspeoplewere glad. However, not for the reason that one might imply. Because the firstline of the book deals with death and dying, does it make A Rose for Emilya story of horror? Brooke and Warren writes, we have a decaying mansion inwhich the protagonist, shut out from the world, grows into something monstrous,and becomes as divorced from the human as some fungus growing in the dark on adamp wall. (Brooks ; Warren 158) This is what makes this piece a horrorstory. Webster New World says that horror means, the strong feeling caused bysomething frightful or shocking. At the end of A Rose for Emily, thereader finds out that Miss Emily is performing a very deviant action. The readerand the townspeople are very much shocked by this act. This piece is truly astory of horror. (Brook ; Warren 158). What made Emily killed Homer? Toanswer this, the reader must first expose Emilys character to view. Emilysgrew up around her father. Her life was hard. Emilys father was a very strictman. If compared to todays strict father, he would be the type of father thatwould show off his gun collection to a guy before taking his daughter out. However, in the case of Miss Emilys father, he did not let anyone see her. The narrator in the story says Emilys father ran off all the men that camefor Emily. The reader sees how Emilys father is detrimental to MissEmilys well being. Because her father blocked her from the outside world,Emily became dependent. Emily became addicted to her father. If her father toldher to jump, Emily probably would respond by saying how high. Emilys fatherwas like a depressant drug. This drug made Emily feel safe at all times. Thereader also witnesses Emilys father characteristics in a work of art. Theportrait hung by the back-flung front door. The narrator of the storydescribes Miss Emily in the picture as a slender figure in white in thebackground. It continues to say her father was a spraddle silhouette inthe foreground. The reader can see how Faulkner uses the portrait tosymbolize how Emilys father shielded her. The narrator goes on to say that, back to her and clutching a horse whip. The picturedepicts how Emilys father is in command. It shows how he ruled her. Herfat her was the dictator in their relationship. Emilys white garmentrepresents how pure and innocent she was. Emily was like a child that is in thefirst stages on its life. The reader can not help but wonder what happened toEmilys mother. Faulkner does not answer this question. Something must havehappen to her while Emily was still young. Something had to happen to makeEmilys father act the way he did toward Emily. The absence of her motheraffected her slightly. The reader can only speculate exactly how much itaffected her. However, the reader could clearly see that Emilys father madeher live sheltered and away from everyone. Emily never had a worry. She grew upthinking that in her older years there would always be someone there to makesure she had the necessities of life. Miss Emily knew that without her fathershe was nothing. Because of this, losing him never crossed her mind. Inactually, when Emilys father pasted, Emily lost her best friend, her mother,her brother, and her father. Th is is what Emilys father represented to her. Maggie Obituary EssayShe liked that feeling and did not want it to end. She knew that if thetownspeople found out he were dead, not only would she suffer seriousconsequences, but also they would take Homers body away leaving her withnothing. Faulkner says, I feel sorry for Emilys tragedy; her tragedy was,she was the only child, an only daughter. At the time when she could have founda husband, could have had a life of her own, there was probably someone, herfather, who said, ?No, you must stay here and take care of me' (Jellife152). Like Faulkner himself, the reader feels sympathetic toward Emily at theend. Miss Emily could have had a great life if she had only had better valuesinstilled in her. If her father let her roam free, if the townspeople saw itform Miss Emilys perspective, and if Miss Emily herself would have triedharder to make a difference in her own life Homer and her could have gottenmarried and live happily ever after. BibliographyBrooks, Cleanth. Warrren, Robert Penn. (1959). Short Story Criticism. (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale Research Company. (pp. 158-159). Faulkner, William. ARose for Emily. Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience. 7th ed. Eds. Richard Abacarian, Marvin Klotz, and Peter Richardson. New York: St. Martins, 1998. (pp. 667-674) Fiedler, Leslie A. (1950). Short StoryCriticism. (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale Research Company. (pp. 142) Jellife, RobertA. (1955). Interviews with Faulkner. Short Story Criticism. (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale Research Company. (pp. 152). Van OConner, William (1970). History in A Rose for Emily.' Short Story Criticism. (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale Research Company. (pp. 152) West, Ray B. (1949). Short StoryCriticism. (Vol. 1). Detroit: Gale Research Company. (pp. 148-151).