Decadence in Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily" March 7, 2006 Decadence in Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily" Outline: Southern decadence and the state of the south Emily's life, her family and how the changes in the south affect them What Emily does and why in reaction to those factors The townspeople's actions and how they are able to participate in Emily's denial and be decadent as well. About Faulkner himself and how he was a product of the decadent south Conclusions Thesis: Southern decadence was famous and iconic back when the story, "A Rose for Emily" was set. It was caused by the end of the Civil War and the forced change upon the antebellum south. Decadence defined the south before the Civil War, including obscene wealth and slavery, and the aristocracy, of which Emily and her father were a part, never had to lift a finger. Emily ends up not only in deep denial, making her able to disregard the reality of her life, but also causing the townspeople to participate in her denial as well. William Faulkner grew up in this southern and self-indulgent environment, making his outlook true to life, and well illustrated in this story. Essay: The south was the picture of excess in pre-war times, and although after the war this changed, old ideas and prejudices died slowly. When the construction company came to the town with "niggers and mules and machinery," those old views were evident. (83) The treatment of the blacks in the south remained a vestige of that decadence for years to come, as evidenced by the need for the civil rights movement. This corruption illustrates the townspeople's willingness to look the ... ... middle of paper ... ...s own view of writing that the heart in conflict is an illustration of that part of our nature which is not of the highest. The story is clearly an illustration of the passing of the old to the new, and of the real character of human nature - decadence. The townspeople had an equal share in the crime that Miss Emily committed, and they were instrumental in its cover-up. She is described as "dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse." (85) This description sums up the people's outlook of both her, and themselves in their willingness to embrace her. Even today the fetters of certain types of ignorance and other forms of evil acts are on view anywhere in the country if one looks. A Rose for Emily illustrates it in its purest form in its own time. Myer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 7th ed. : Bedford - St. Martin's, 2006.
Set in the Reconstruction Era, when the South was forced to give up control of their power to the North after the Civil War, William Faulkner’s famous short story, A Rose for Emily, focuses on the human struggle for control, through the life of a southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson. The town watches Miss Emily as she matures from a young girl to a mysterious old recluse. Miss Emily’s struggle can be described in a three part process where Miss Emily has no control of her world, then gains control, and is then finally faced with losing that control. The reader follows Miss Emily’s story from the town’s perspective and later discovers what length Miss Emily is willing to go to in order to maintain her control.
The end of the American Civil War also signified the end of the Old South's era of greatness. The south is depicted in many stories of Faulkner as a region where "the reality and myth are difficult to separate"(Unger 54). Many southern people refused to accept that their conditions had changed, even though they had bitterly realized that the old days were gone. They kept and cherished the precious memories, and in a fatal and pathetic attempt to maintain the glory of the South people tend to cling to old values, customs, and the faded, but glorified representatives of the past. Miss Emily was one of those selected representatives. The people in the southern small-town, where the story takes place, put her on a throne instead of throwing her in jail where she actually belonged. The folks in town, unconsciously manipulated by their strong nostalgia, became the accomplices of the obscene and insane Miss Emily.
In the story "A Rose for Emily," the author, William Faulkner, recounts the life of a woman from an elite family in the Deep South. Emily Grierson is an eccentric spinster who goes through her life searching for love and security. Due to her relationship with her father, and the intrusiveness of the townspeople in her life, she is unable to get away from her past. Arising from a young woman's search for love, the use of symbolism profoundly develops the theme, therefore, bringing to light the issues of morality.
Faulkner portrays the townspeople and Emily in the southern town of Jefferson during the late 1800's to early 1900's. The town is more than just the setting in the story; it takes on its own characterization alongside Emily the main character. It is the main reasoning behind Emily's attitude and actions. It gives the reader an easier understanding into why Emily makes the decisions she does as the story unwinds.
Meyer, Michael. Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin's, 2013. Print.
William Faulkner wrote, “A Rose for Emily.” In the gothic, short story he contrasted the lives of the people of a small Southern town during the late 1800’s, and he compared their ability and inability to change with the time. The old or “Antebellum South” was represented by the characters Miss Emily, Colonel Sartoris, the Board of Aldermen, and the Negro servant. The new or “Modern South” was expressed through the words of the unnamed narrator, the new Board of Aldermen, Homer Barron, and the townspeople. In the shocking story, “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner used symbolism and a unique narrative perspective to describe Miss Emily’s inner struggles to accept time and change
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1989.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
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 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.
All in all, the story of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner represents a chilling and twisted story of a woman who used every option, even murder, to keep her state of happiness. Faulkner cleverly uses symbols, characters, and theme to fully illustrate the twisted mind of Emily Grierson and the communities never ending struggle between incorporating modern rules and keeping traditional values.
“A Rose for Emily” 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. 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,
The past takes on numerous symbols in “A Rose for Emily,” with the most major being the past as the Old South. It may be the Old South, a South that has been beaten and defeated by the North .It is, however, a South, which persistently and rather unreasonably insists on clinging to its previous wonders and one, which refuses to accept the passage of time or confront the changes that have been brought upon it. The South is Miss Emily, embodied in her refusal to pay taxes, She says “ See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.” Colonel Sartoris has been dead almost ten years. This shows how disconnected Miss Emily is from the world and how she refuses to accept the change that’s going on around her, ending in her indifferent treatment of the town’s authorities and her rejection ...
Although I do not agree with how Miss Emily Grierson behaved, but I do not blame her. Harbored from reality her entire life I can expect for her to do some unordinary things. I feel bad for Miss Emily because she was the center of attention in a modernized town where she still practiced her traditional values. Through the eyes the townspeople we get our views of Emily at a distance. Had the story been told from Emily’s perspective we could better understand her reasoning for her bizarre behavior.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin's, 1999. 97.