In William Faulkner’s story, “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner uses symbolism as a literary element to keep the reader interested in his writing. There are many characters and materials that Faulkner placed throughout the story with hidden meaning. When he describes dust being in a scene, the reader may scan over it, not giving the element much thought. The dust, however, does hold a significant message. Dust was present in Ms. Emily’s home all throughout the story. Ms. Emily spent most of her time in her home. She used her house to recluse herself from society and is also where she died. With this being said, dust is a reoccurring object throughout the story that symbolizes aging, the state of being a recluse, and death.
When I think of dust, I think of old materials or places that have not been used for a long time. In “A Rose for Emily”, Faulkner did a great job using dust as a symbolism for aging. In the beginning of the story, Miss Emily’s house was described as once beautiful: “It was a big, squarish house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street” (787). Although the house was once beautiful, as time goes by, the house becomes old and loses its beauty: “…But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps- an eyesore among eyesores” (787). Later, when the Aldermen come to the house to receive Miss Emily’s tax payment, they describe the aged house from the inside: “It smelled of dust and disuse- a close, dank smell” (788)....
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...kner did this on purpose and ensured dust was in the presence of death.
In conclusion, dust was an important element throughout the story that had secret symbolism behind it. As the town and neighborhood became more modern, Miss Emily’s house remained unchanged and aged, setting itself apart from the rest of the town. As Miss Emily would recluse herself from society, her house became filled with dust. Dust was always present in the occurrence of death. The reader has to read over the story a few times to realize how often dust appeared. After reading, the reader must dig deep and think of what the true meaning of the dust was for each scene. I believe Faulkner did a great job using dust as symbolism in this story.
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 787-796. Print.
The opening chapter paints a vivid picture of the situation facing the drought-stricken farmers of Oklahoma. Dust is described a covering everything, smothering the life out of anything that wants to grow. The dust is symbolic of the erosion of the lives of the people. The dust is synonymous with "deadness". The land is ruined ^way of life (farming) gone, people ^uprooted and forced to leave. Secondly, the dust stands for ^profiteering banks in the background that squeeze the life out the land by forcing the people off the land. The soil, the people (farmers) have been drained of life and are exploited:
The dust besides symbolizing the life leaving the land, it also symbolizes the banks that took all they could from the farmers and then when they could give no more they were kicked out of their homes. "Houses were shut tight, and cloth wedged around doors and windows, but the dust came in so thinly that it could not be seen in the air, and it settled like pollen on the chairs and tables, on the dishes.
Fitzgerald’s uses the words “powdery air” to describe that the air is nothing near pure, it also characterizes the air to be polluted, gloomy, and sad. The ash itself is making everyone around it sad, depressed, and gloomy.
Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily". An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed. Ed. Barnet, Sylvan, et al. 287-294.
Nebeker, Helen E. "" Emily's Rose of Love: Thematic Implication of Point of View in Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"." Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association. 1. Vol. 24. March 1970. Bulletin. 19 April 2014. .
Faulkner uses symbolic elements to compare the Grierson house with Emily's life- "lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores"(Faulkner 29).
Imagine standing outside trying to farm your dying crops. All of a sudden, the sky gets dark. You look up and see a big, black cloud heading straight towards your town. You attempt to seek shelter, but it is too late. Cars come to a complete stop, and people rush to get cover. The cloud of dirt sweeps into your small town, and you can no longer see anything but only feel the gritty dirt blowing against your skin. This occurrence is what people experienced during the Dust Bowl. In the historical fiction book, Out of the Dust, the author, Karen Hesse, describes the hardships that Billie Jo and her family faced during the worst years of the Dust Bowl. Hesse depicts the effects of the dust storms, reasons for the occurrence of the dust storms,
Faulkner starts his story by showing the amount of respect that is shown at Emily’s funeral. It is said that the entire town attended this event, but also that some only showed up to see what the inside of her house looked like because no one had been inside in over ten years. “The men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant- a combined gardener and cook- had seen in at least ten years”(pg.542). He explains this to show the mysterious interest of Emily. By explaining the mystery in Emily, he carries a dark tone that mystifies the audience.
The dust which remained untouched by anyone held the many regrets and memories of Emily. The dust after all had been adding up over the years concealing everything what lay beneath, after all Emily’s house is described as “filled with dust and shadows”. This description provides us with a visual representation of the everlasting control Emily’s father had over his daughter. The dust gathering in every nook and cranny of the house creates many disturbances much like life. When Emily’s father dies it cause her to self destruct. Her father’s actions before he died left her all alone, and totally broke. All she was left with was an old house. Furthermore, the dust’s characterization of being “patient and biding” suggests it is obscuring the past. Such as it does with Homer Barron. He is covered in an “even coating of the patient and biding dust” when found by the townspeople. They had previously thought he was together with Emily, however because of her inability to let go she killed him in an attempt to stay with him forever. Homer Barron’s murder is concealed by secrecy and false assumptions. Like the dust, the past is always there waiting to be remembered and
William Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily" is perhaps his most famous and most anthologized short story. From the moment it was first published in 1930, this story has been analyzed and criticized by both published critics and the causal reader. The well known Literary critic and author Harold Bloom suggest that the story is so captivating because of Faulkner’s use of literary techniques such as "sophisticated structure, with compelling characterization, and plot" (14). Through his creative ability to use such techniques he is able to weave an intriguing story full of symbolism, contrasts, and moral worth. The story is brief, yet it covers almost seventy five years in the life of a spinster named Emily Grierson. Faulkner develops the character Miss Emily and the events in her life to not only tell a rich and shocking story, but to also portray his view on the South’s plight after the Civil War. Miss Emily becomes the canvas in which he paints the customs and traditions of the Old South or antebellum era. The story “A Rose For Emily” becomes symbolic of the plight of the South as it struggles to face change with Miss Emily becoming the tragic heroin of the Old South.
Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Shorter 5th ed. Ed. R.V.Cassill. New York: W.W. Norton & Comp., 1995.
Faulkner, William. "A Rose For Emily." The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. 91-99. Print.
With every turn of the page, the dark and twisted storyline of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner leaves the reader in a stronger state of shock and inevitably speechless. Faulkner cleverly uses symbols, characters, and theme to illustrate the inner thoughts of Emily Grierson and the community’s ongoing struggle between tradition and modernism. .
William Faulkner takes us back in time with his Gothic short story known as, “A Rose for Emily.” Almost every sentence gives a new piece of evidence to lead the reader to the overall theme of death, isolation, and trying to maintain traditions. The reader can conclude the theme through William Faulkner’s use of literary devices such as his choice of characters, the setting, the diction, the tone, and the plot line.
Miss Emily's house as the setting of the story is a perfect metaphor for the events occurring during that time period. It portrays the decay of Miss Emily's life and values and of the southern way of life and their clash with the newer generations. The house is situated in what was once a prominent neighborhood that has now deteriorated. Miss Emily's "big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies of an earlier time," now looked awkward surrounded by "cotton wagons" and "gasoline pumps." The townspeople consider it "an eyesore among eyesores." Time has taken a similar role with Miss Emily altering her appearance from that of a "slender figure in white" (624) to that of "a small, fat woman in black" (622). The setting of Faulkner's story defines Miss Emily's tight grasp of ante-bellum ways and unchanging demeanor.. Through her refusal to put "metal numbers above her door and attach a mail box" to her house she is refusing to change with society. Miss Emily's attitude towards change is ...