Emily Grierson Symbolism

William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” commemorates the bizarre and pitiful life of Miss Emily Grierson, an isolated woman overcome by desperation and fixated on the past. An unnamed member of this southern community narrates the pivotal events in Emily’s life that contribute to the development of her character and ultimately her psychotic act depicted in the story’s final scene. Time is a crucial element within the story. Not only are the events told out of sequence, but Emily herself seems out of place in modern times and she is lost in the past. During the progression of the story, the reader encounters three major symbols- the house, the bodies, and the watch-all of which Faulkner effectively uses to reveal the story’s central

The symbolism of the bodies alludes to the concept of preservation and Emily’s refusal to accept change. Initially, Emily denies that her father is dead and tries to cling on to his body for several days before her emotional breakdown (Faulkner 246). When Homer Barron refuses to marry her, Emily tries to preserve that moment in her life by burying his body in a dusty, bridal tomb “lain in the attitude of an embrace” (Faulkner 249). Although a poor coping mechanism for her lack of fulfillment in life, retaining the bodies allows Emily to have these men, and her relationships with them, frozen in time and enables her to continue living in the past. Madden makes the excellent point that Emily also “preserves all the dead, in memory if not literally” when she fails to acknowledge that Colonel Sartoris has been dead for nearly ten years (Madden). By denying their deaths and preserving their bodies, Emily essentially stops time, at least in her mind. The degree of Emily’s desperation, loneliness, and disillusionment is first illustrated in the scene after her father’s death when she reluctantly gives up the body: “we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which robbed her, as people do” (Faulkner 246). Here the narrator expresses sympathy for Emily’s misfortune and suggests that her behavior was a natural human reaction

Early in the story, Faulkner draws the reader’s attention to “a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt” as well as “the invisible watch ticking at the end of the gold chain” (244). The watch is “vanishing” and “invisible” to all characters present in this scene, yet the city authorities clearly hear the audible ticking sound coming from her pocket (Faulkner 244). This shows how time goes on although Emily is stuck in the past. Literary critic Milinda Schwab explains the significance of the placement of the watch. According to Schwab, having the watch in her pocket has dual meaning: “Emily removes from sight that which makes one conscious of time’s passing”, and “Emily demonstrates her effort to subjugate the clock to her own will” (Schwab). One meaning implies the out of sight, out of mind mentality to deny that change occurs, while the other indicates an attempt to control and manipulate change. Nonetheless, both meanings effectively support the theme of “A Rose for Emily.” Schwab also describes Emily’s perception of time in relation to the watch: “Time for Emily does not move forward; it merely drones on in endless repetition, like the absurdly loud tick, tick, tick of her invisible watch” (Schwab). Based upon Schwab’s analysis there are two ways to interpret the ticking of the watch: from Emily’s