William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

1538 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Main theme in a rose for emily

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"

As any reader can see, " A Rose for Emily" is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner's work is idealistic to all readers.

The works of William Faulkner have had positive effects on readers throughout his career. Local legends and gossip trigger the main focus of his stories. Considering that Faulkner grew up in Mississippi, he was very familiar with the ways of the South. This award winning author has been praised by many critics for his ability and unique style of writing. One of Faulkner's most popular works, which also was his first short story nationally published in 1930, "A Rose for Emily" is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner. By writing about the political and social ways of the South, Faulkner was able to create an illusion of the New South as being what we know today as mainstream America. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner's work is idealistic to all readers.

Faulkner's use of characterization in "A Rose for Emily" is clearly important to the story. It is obvious to all readers that Miss Emily Grierson is the protagonist, or the principle character. According to a prominent critic, Elizabeth Sabiston, "Emily is a gothic character" (142). Sabiston is referring to Emily that way because of the fact that she slept with skeleton of her lover Homer Barron for forty years. She was awfully stubborn in the opinion of the townspeople. This stubbornness also ties in with Emily's ability to live in reality. After she refused to pay her taxes, directly to the mayor, she tells them to go see Colonel Satoris, who has been dead for ten years. This portrays that Emily's illusion of reality was greatly distorted. Miss Emily was motivated by her lover, Homer, she isolated herself in an old decaying house and she refused to recognize that time had passed. Emily was proud, disdainful and seemingly independent. This shows the importance of characterization. Without these characters, the story would be radically changed. When the reader understands Emily, they can achieve a clearer view of the actions that go on during the story (West 149). Several other characters in "A Rose for Emily" are set in oppositi...

... middle of paper ...

.... 158-159.

Howe, Irving. William Faulkner A Critical Study. New York: Random House, 1951-52. 265.

Madden, David. "A Rose for Emily." vol. 5 of Masterplots II Short Story Series. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1986. 1986-1989.

McMichael,George. ed. "A Rose for Emily." Concise Anthology of American Literature. Fourth edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998. 1922-1929.

Pierce, Constance. "William Faulkner." vol. 3 of Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1990. 848-857.

Sabiston, Elizabeth. "Faulkner". Vol. 52 of Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Daniel G. Marowski and Roger Matuz. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1989. 142.

West, Ray B. Jr. "A Rose for Emily." Short Story Criticism. Eds. Laurie Lanzen Harris and Shelia Fitzgerald. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1988. page numbers.

Rodriguez, Celia. " An analysis of A Rose for Emily." U of Texas. 3 Sept. 1996. <http://www.cerl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/reader/south/rodriquezerose.html>

The Mississippi writers page. U of Mississippi. 15 June 2000. < http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/faulkner_william/>

Show More
Related

  • Oh Who Will Protect Poor Emily?

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    5. Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: an Introduction to Reading and Writing. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ Prentice Hall, 2008. 76-81. Print.

    Read More

  • Faulkner's A Rose for Emely and Kate Chopin's Story of an Hour

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 549-51. Print.

    Read More

  • Isolation in “Yellow Wallpaper”

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “A Rose for Emily”. Literature: Prentice Hall Pocket Reader. Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2005. 1-9.

    Read More

  • Faulkner's Rose For Emily is a Portrait Of The Post War South

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a short story with third party narration, centered on the main character, Emily Grierson. She is suppressed by her father, life expectations and community interest in her life. The reader gets a sense that Emily cracks under all the pressure and they soon realize after her death, when she is in her seventies, that she did in fact have a mental disorder.

    Read More

  • Symbolism: Revealing the Hidden Truths

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell "A Rose for Emily" Compact Literature by William Falkner 8th ed. Boston:Wadsworth, 2013. 220-26

    Read More

  • BP crisis

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    On April 20, 2010, BP’S deep water horizon drill exploded in Gulf of Mexico and this oil spill killed 11 innocent workers and caused severe damage to the environment. “It was the worst environmental disaster in US history and BP lost his reputation worldwide”. The oil spill created negative attention from media and public. BP’s “Gulf of Mexico Restoration” website uses these three strategies to try to repair its reputation: pictures of its new employees to show its dedication to creating more jobs and ensuring the safety in the company, images of emergency services and clean-up programs to show its quick responses and efforts to prevent more damages, and clear language about its legal proceedings and investigations to show its commitment to the affected people and environment.

    Read More

  • The Resistance to Change

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kurtz, Elizabeth Carney. "Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'". Explicator. Heldref Publications. 44.2 (1986): 40. Academic Search Complete. Blinn College, Bryan, Lib. 18 Oct. 2007

    Read More

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Properly diagnosing ADHD, medication choices, and behavioral interventions are the key focal point. Is medication truly worth the side effects?

    Read More

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Ritalin, and the Brain

    1604 Words  | 4 Pages

    The lack of a complete understanding of ADHD has led scientists to question how to go about treating ADHD. While at the moment the disorder cannot be cured, they are methods that scientists have come up with to address the symptoms displayed by ADHD. These approaches range all the way from psychotherapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to the prescription of pyschostimulant medications. (3) The most popular of these medications include amphetamines, such as Aderall, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin. (1) The use of such drugs ...

    Read More

  • ADHD Throughout the Years

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many researchers are finding more valuable discoveries about ADHD. With these new researches will parents raise a concern about their child’s health? Chances are, most parents will ask questions, as well as do research for logic reasoning. Although most parents should consider using treatment like therapy or counseling. These options should be considered first, instead of prescribed medication.

    Read More

  • Treating ADHD

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    This disorder can begin to create problems when they are involved in structured situations or those that require attention for an extended period of time. However, a common concern that many experts must remain cautious about is, when or when not to give ADHD medication because the parents of the child or the adult may have other motives, such as wanting the medication to advance their skills and abilities to beat their competition.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Plot in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Case Study

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to an online article from Thought Company, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill polluted the waters of Prince William Sound, coated more than a thousand miles of pristine coastline and killed hundreds of thousands of birds, fish, and animals. This crisis has become a symbol of human-caused environmental disasters all over the world. Many years after the accident, and despite billions of dollars spent on cleanup efforts, crude oil can still be found under the rocks and sand on the beaches of southwest Alaska, and the effects of the spill are still apparent in the lasting damage done to many native species. (West, 2017) This specific incident was a major crisis that acted as a prodrome for the oil industry. For the purpose of this assignment it is important that we take a look at the details of this event. From there, we will look at how Exxon handled the

    Read More

  • BP Case Study: BP Oil Company

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    BP spent millions of dollars per day to clean up the oil spill. It was estimated that BP was spending “$6 million a day on fixing the mess (Grant, J.K. 2011). In 2005, an explosion at BP’s Texas City oil refinery killed 15 people and injured more than180 people. The accident cost the firm US $2 billion in damages and lawsuits (Murry, B. 2010). According to the OSHA (United States Occupational safety and Health Administration) Citations 760 and 761 BP was responsible for wilful and flagrant violations of safety standards. It happened intentionally and showing indifference to its employees and are yet to pay the fines from Texas City explosion. CSR review BP Green washing Tulane Law review Dodd-Frank act whose role is to evaluate the company fraudulent claims of CSR (Cherry, M. A., & Sneirson, J. F. 2010). An approximated $134 million BP plans spend to address the damage it caused for the Deepwater Horizon Resource Damage Assessment Trustees that include to restore habitats for ospreys and other birds, protect sea turtles and rebuild fish populations ( Thompson, A. 2010). Explosion of BP refinery in Texas that caused 100 injuries and 15 deaths in 2005.Criminal charges due to spread of 270,000 gallons of crude oil in Alaskan tundra in 2006.Toxic spill of 2,000 gallons of methanol in the oil

    Read More

More about William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

Open Document