Symbolism in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
In the short story, "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, symbolism is used very frequently through out the story. There are several different symbolic subjects in this story such as the house, Miss Emily as a "monument," Homer and the "Yankee" views, and Miss Emily's old Negro servant who represents death in the story. In many different ways, symbolism has a very deep and underlying insight to the story of "A Rose for Emily".
Miss Emily is compared to her house in many different ways. Descriptions of the decaying house symbolize Miss Emily's physical and emotional decay, and as well as her mental problems. The representation between herself and her house is shown through constant neglect and unappreciation. In one point that Faulkner makes, the house is described to be stubborn and unrelenting, as Miss Emily is also portrayed on many occasions. Examples of her stubbornness is not letting the "new guard" attach metal numbers above her door when the town began to receive free mail service, when she refuses to believe that her father is dead, and refuses to pay her taxes. Just as the house seems to reject progress and updating, so does Miss Emily, until both of them become decaying symbols of their dying generation. Miss Emily also represents the "Old South". Her southern heritage and points of view are represented through her actions. Her stubbornness and unrelenting attitude are very strong characteristics of the Southern heritage. She refused to believe that the times were changing and refused to change into the new society. The Southern heritage is also represented through Miss Emily's strict and repetitive ways. The story basically addresses the changes in the South after the Civil War. Miss Emily is considered a "monument" of Southern manners and an ideal of past values. The Old South generations were deteriorating very rapidly by changing traditions, and as well as mannerisms. When Miss Emily died, her and her house both become symbols of their dying generation.
Homer Barron is the representative of the Yankee attitudes toward the Griersons and also toward the entire South. The South is known for being traditional, and the North is known for being very adaptable to change. Homer Barron was from the North and also represented "the next generation with it's more modern ideas" (Faulkner 315).
In some stories, Negroes sometimes represent death. In the short story, " A Rose for Emily," the color black is symbolic for death, as well as depression and gloom.
Death is first described in the first paragraph of the story and is repeated thereafter, the death of her father, of Colonel Sartoris, and finally of Homer Baron. The death of Homer, the climax of the story, is foretold by several layers of clues through the story. The first clue is the first description of Miss Emily, "a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending ...Her skeleton was small and spare...She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue...Her eyes...looked like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough" (508). Here is a description of the walking dead, a person who has been left to rot and decay, which is exactly the manner of death of Homer as will be told later. The color "black" is also used by Faulkner to describe dea...
The main symbolism running throughout A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, is the theme of how important it is to let go of the past. Miss Emily clings to the past and does not want to be independent. The Old South is becoming the new South and she cannot move forward. The residents of the South did not all give in to change just because they lost the Civil War. In A Rose for Emily time marches on leaving Miss Emily behind as she stubbornly refuses to progress into a new era. In the story, symbolism is used to give more details than the author actually gives to the reader. Symbolism helps to indicate how Emily was once innocent but later changes, how her hair, house, and lifestyle, helped to show her resistance to change. The story is not told in chronological order. The events of her life are revealed slowly and create suspense over the telling of the story by the narrator. The narrator represents the town and its residents.
... Homer’s initials in the bedroom represented Emily’s tarnished reputation because of Homer. Miss Emily herself was symbolic in this story. In the beginning she was young and vibrant like the South used to be but toward the end she was unkempt and ugly characterizing the unhealthy traditions of the Old South and its stubborn followers. Her conflict was symbolic of the conflict of acceptance versus unacceptance that was present in the South at that time. The rose was also symbolic in this story. The rose is sometimes a symbol for silence or secrecy so something said or done is not to be repeated. The rose represented the secret that was upstairs hidden away from the rest of the world, Homer’s dead body. Miss Emily had preserved it much like someone would preserve a rose. Miss Emily’s “preserving” Homer was symbolic of her ultimate refusal to accept change.
William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily," is a short story that is narrated by an anonymous character to be considered as the voice of the home town and tells the story out of order. The story is based on the life of Emily Grierson and how it connects with the South after the Civil War. There are many parts in the story that show symbolism in varieties of ways. Some of these symbols include Emily's house, her hair, her clothing, and even the "rose" that is brought in the story. Symbolism is shown throughout many different ways through all forms of literature. It is mainly shown through the main theme as well as the smaller themes that are throughout the story. Symbolism is used to represent ideas or qualities through the use of symbols.
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" has been interpreted in many different ways. Most of these rely solely on hints found within the story. I believe that his life can also help one analyze this story. By knowing that Faulkner's strongest influence was his independent mother, one can guess that Miss Emily Grierson's character was based partly on Maud Falkner.
William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a town's obsession. The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople. They witness Miss Emily's life, her father's death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover. The theme of death runs throughout this tale, which is understandable considering the events that take place in the story. Faulkner uses foreshadowing to foretell events that will transpire later in the story. Because of this foreshadowing, a reader may not be shocked when a strange turn in the story occurs, because, it may seem familiar to him. Faulkner's first use of foreshadowing begins with the death of Miss Emily. The main character does not usually die in the first sentence of most works of fiction, but here Faulkner is foretelling the deaths of other characters that will follow. The reader will learn more about Emily's life and death as the story unfolds.
There are many other examples in this text that include foreshadowing as a primary literary element however in what has been discussed here it is clear that Faulkner is impeccable in using foreshadowing as a way to grasp the reader’s attention. Faulkner gives the reader essential pieces of information at times to better understand and decode the story. Such as Emily not being able to perceive death as a finality, Homers death in itself or the fact that Emily is hoarding his [Homers] body. Faulkner also uses very descriptive and short phrases or passages containing foreshadowing to help emphasis very important turning points in the story. In the short story a Rose for Emily William Faulkner has truly done a remarkable job at satisfying the reader with his use of foreshadowing as a primary literary element.
By using strong characterization and dramatic imagery, William Faulkner introduces us to Miss Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily”. The product of a well-established, but now fallen family, Emily plays common role found in literature- a societal outcast, who earns her banishment from society through her eclectic behavior and solitary background. Often living in denial and refusing to engage with others, Emily responds to her exile by spending the remainder of her life as a mysterious recluse that the rest of society is more content to ignore rather than break social customs to confront her. Emily’s role as an outcast mirrors a major theme of the story, that denial is a powerful tool in hiding a secret, however, the truth will eventually emerge. The mystery surrounding Emily’s character and the story’s memorable imagery creates a haunting tale that lingers with the reader.
In “A Rose For Emily”, by William Faulkner, plot plays an important role in how
In Faulkner’s tale “A Rose for Emily” there are many historical elements throughout the story; Faulkner uses them to give an authentic feel to the story and to add to the setting. A recurring theme that I found was reference to the reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. The setting of the South after their demise in the Civil War adds character to the story and to the characters. The attitudes people had and the way people treated Emily with respect was a tradition of the “Old South” that is presented throughout this tale.
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 introduces us to a number of characters but the most involved being Emily Grierson, Homer Barron, Tobe, and the ladies of the town; who are not named individually. Emily Grierson was once a beautiful and wealthy upper class young women who lived with her father, who has since died, on the towns,
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 ...
In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Miss Emily Grierson is a lonely old woman, living a life void of all love and affection; although the rose only directly appears in the title, the rose surfaces throughout the story as a symbol. In contemporary times, the rose also symbolizes emotions like love and friendship. The rose symbolizes dreams of romances and lovers. These dreams belong to women, who like Emily Grierson, have yet to experience true love for themselves.
William Faulkner is the author of many famous titles. Interestingly enough, Faulkner never finished high school. He gained his skilled writing from reading many books and an interest in writing early in his life. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Faulkner noted that it is the writer 's duty, “To help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past. One of his most famous texts that he wrote was A Rose for Emily. This story takes place from around 1875 to 1920, chronicling the life and death of Emily Grierson. In the short story, Emily’s father dies. The death seems to have a grave effect on her. Later, she then becomes acquainted with Homer Barron. All of the townspeople believe that Emily will marry Homer, but one day Homer walked into Emily’s house, and was never seen again. Emily, who has refused to pay her taxes since her father 's death, secludes herself from society and is later found dead in her house at age 74. William Faulkner, in his story, A Rose for Emily, Faulkner fulfills his own criteria for writing.