Going Beyond The Meaning in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

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Most of the time, an object can represent multiple things. In the United States the Bald eagle represents freedom. It symbolizes freedom, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks. Our soldiers fight for our freedom today. Symbolism explains an object more clearly and it goes beyond the meaning. Colors can also be a symbol. The United States flag has three colors and they all represent something different. White represents purity and innocence. Red stands for hardiness and valor. Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice. If the flag is flown half-staff it represents respect, mourning, or distress.

In the story, A Rose for Emily, an elderly woman named Emily was controlled and kept away from finding love by her father her whole life. Since she was a Grierson, the townspeople never saw her as a human being. Although, she was just a person, the people saw her and her family as a tableau. Emily was known to be a stubborn woman in life. Once her father died, she didn’t believe her father was dead until the townspeople talked her into burying him. A couple years later, she finally decided to go out of her house and she met a man named Homer Barron. It was the first time in years that she was able to meet a man and set foot out of the house without her father’s point of view. Once the townspeople found out about Homer, it was all they would talk about. Emily was so happy that she actually fell in love with a man without her father chasing him away. She actually felt free for the first time in years. After a while, Emily started

believing everything she heard from the townspeople. They kept saying Homer wasn’t the marrying type, Emily went insane. She thought if she couldn’t have him, no one else can. So ...

... middle of paper ...

... through too many difficulties in her life. William Faulkner used several characters and objects for the reader to go beyond the meaning of the ordinary.

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily” Austin Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991. Print.

“The Role of the Townspeople in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’.” Madisoncavell Wordpress. N.p. 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Lombardi, Esther. “A Rose for Emily –What’s important about the gray hair?” About. N.p. n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

“Lime and Arsenic.” Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

Phillips, Lee. “‘A Rose for Emily’ Rhetorical Analysis.” Teenink. N.p. n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

“Symbols in ‘A Rose for Emily’.” StudyMode. Study Mode, Inc., 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

“’A Rose for Emily’ Themes, Motifs, and Symbols.” Sparknotes. Sparknotes, Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

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