Both of the stories that will be compared in this paper, William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, are very demented novels that contain central premises very estranged to most readers. Though Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a short story, the depth and description contained inside its brief text give it the ability to be compared to a novel such as Frankenstein; primarily it's ability to explain the factors relating to Miss Emily's obsession for keeping her loved ones around after they have deceased. Similarly, in Shelley's Frankenstein, the evil and murderous nature of the beast created by Victor Frankenstein is well described in many angles and shows the prevalent need for the monster to make Victors life as unbearable and lonely as his has been since his creation and immediate expulsion by Victor. So throughout this paper I plan to show the similarities in description and style of writing of these two pieces of literature, even though they differ in length so greatly.
Both plots contain elements that shock and amaze the reader by introducing them to ideas not normally seen in most novels. The dark nature in both stories can be startling, but are the central components and are used to make for a more interesting and intriguing story for the reader. Though a horror story is more common in this day and age, a story to the effect of Frankenstein was unheard of in 1818 when the book was written. Both novels have a powerful effect on the mind and imagination of the reader. In Frankenstein before the creation Shelley says, "Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless clay?"(p. 53) This line ...
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...of non-viable or unbelievable characters is an illustration of this point along with many other aspects such as the bizarre subject matter and the cryptic settings. The grotesque methods of her writing also emphasize these romantic traits and further enhance the details of this skillfully manufactured novel. The lack of these elements in "A Rose for Emily" is partly due to the length and subject matter that is discussed. It is difficult to fit in the intricacies as used in Frankenstein in such a small amount of space and there for leaves the novel comparable in content and allusions, but affects its ability to introduce the kind depth and content associated with Frankenstein. Both novels are great examples of superb literary mastery and should be viewed as such, while also recognizing the differences in the time in which they were written and the length accordingly.
In “A Rose for Emily”, Charles Faulkner used a series of flashbacks and foreshadowing to tell Miss Emily’s story. Miss Emily is an interesting character, to say the least. In such a short story of her life, as told from the prospective of a townsperson, who had been nearly eighty as Miss Emily had been, in order to tell the story from their own perspective. Faulkner set up the story in Mississippi, in a world he knew of in his own lifetime. Inspired by a southern outlook that had been touched by the Civil War memory, the touch of what we would now look at as racism, gives the southern aroma of the period. It sets up Miss Emily’s southern belle status and social standing she had been born into, loner or not.
Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, has captured people’s attention since it was first written. People often wonder how much of Mary Shelley’s life is documented in her novel. From the theme of parental abandonment, to the theme of life and death in the novel, literary scholars have been able to find similarities between Frankenstein and Shelley’s life. The Journal of Religion and Health, the Journal of Analytical Psychology, and the Modern Psychoanalysis discuss the different connections between Shelley’s life and Frankenstein. Badalamenti, the author of “ Why did Mary Shelley Write Frankenstein?” in the Journal of Religion and Health, primarily discusses the connection between Victor
In the short stories "The Story of an Hour," by Chopin and "A Rose for
In the short stories A Rose for Emily and The Story of an Hour, Emily Grierson and Louise Mallard are both similar women, in similar time periods but they both are in entirely different situations. This essay will take these two specific characters and compare and contrast them in multiple, detailed ways.
My Neighbor’s Keeper? William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily is set in the small southern town of Jefferson during the early decades of the twentieth century . At this time, vast and cardinal changes were being made by the upcoming new south to conceal and move from the horrid truths that were a part of the town's history. In lieu of this, Jefferson was at a turning point in which they were having difficulty coming to terms with these changes . Integrating Faulkner's use of character and symbols with other sources, it will be supported that despite of the attempts made to carry Miss Emily and others who expressed denial and fear of modernity, change is an inevitable reality that was unable to be escaped. The author uses Miss Emily, the main character as the prime figure of one who is unwilling to welcome change in any aspect but ironically it was present in her everyday life. To show this, Faulkner references the appearance of Miss Emily on numerous occasions. The first time in which her appearance is noted if is the narrator depicts Miss Emily’s semblance as a “small, fat woman in black" (Faulkner 30). After the reader receiving this description of her appearance, there is another time in which her appearance is mentioned again in the text: “When we saw her again her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl." (Faulkner 31). With this one may receive the impression of Miss Emily being so resistant to change on all aspects aside from traditional norm, the total contrary is the reality of this. Emily trying to appear more feminine, is a total change that she exhibited ever since her father has passed away. Later on in the story, a final mention of Miss Emily’s appearance is described: “She had grown fat and h...
In the story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner, the author talks about a life of a woman and the town she lived in.
In life people often think that the life they live in is either a good one and do not think that a change would do their life any good. In reality change is good, but Emily in the short story "A Rose for Emily'; thinks that the life she has lived through is the one to keep and does not want to change it even though to us we might think of her life as a tragic and deprived one.
Rather than stating the true meaning of his works, William Faulkner generally uses symbolism to portray the depth of his tales. Throughout the story “A Rose For Emily,” time is a continuous theme that is portrayed through symbols. The past, present, and future are represented by different people, places, and things. One of which such symbols, the main character herself, represents the essence of the past through her father, her house, and her lover.
Frankenstein is the story of an eccentric scientist whose masterful creation, a monster composed of sown together appendages of dead bodies, escapes and is now loose in the country. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly’s diction enhances fear-provoking imagery in order to induce apprehension and suspense on the reader. Throughout this horrifying account, the reader is almost ‘told’ how to feel – generally a feeling of uneasiness or fright. The author’s diction makes the images throughout the story more vivid and dramatic, so dramatic that it can almost make you shudder.
Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein has been deemed a classic gothic novel. Her monster has frightened many generations throughout the ages, and lingers as a warning of science gone too far. But why did her monster survive the ages? I believe that Mary Shelley's monster managed to hold our attention and chill us to the bone, because she weaved a tale that incorporated the genres of gothic, and romantic literature into a narrative of complete terror, and psychological torment that managed to surpass any other gothic literature of her time.
Emily Grierson, a woman of stature and nobility of the once proud South; transformed to a mere peasant, through the fall of the Confederacy and the changes that ensued. Tragic in a sense, the story of her life as told from the author; William Faulkner, in his short story - "A Rose for Emily." (Faulkner 74-79). First published in the popular magazine of his time in 1930, The Forum; Faulkner tries to maintain her self image throughout the story through the narrators eyes as being repressed in nature through her upbringing in society prior to the war and the circumstances of the times as they unfold - while struggling to fill a void of emptiness inside.
Works Cited for: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: A Norton Critical Edition. ed. a. a. a. a. a J. Paul Hunter. New York: W. W. Norton, 1996.
Tragedy shows no discrimination and often strikes down on those undeserving of such turmoil. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a creature more repulsive than one can imagine is brought to life by a young scientist. Although this creature is horrifying in sight, he is gentle by nature. Unfortunately, the softer side of the creature is repeatedly overlooked and the so called “monster” is driven to a breaking point. Even though the Creature committed many crimes, Mary Shelley’s Creature was the tragic hero of this story because of his efforts rescue the life of a young girl and helping destitute cottagers.
In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, the narrative voice is a detached witness to the events in Miss Emily’s life. This is portrayed through its limited omniscience, its shifting viewpoint and its unreliability.
In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," we see how past events affect the life of the main character Miss Emily, especially her inability to accept change. Throughout the story Miss Emily goes to extreme measures to protect her social status. Miss Emily lives in the past to shield herself from a future that holds no promises and no guarantees. William Faulkner illustrates Miss Emily's inability to accept change through the physical, social and historical settings, all of which are intimately related to the Grierson house.