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characterization and theme of a rose for emily
what are the characterization of the story a rose for emily
what compares and contrasts with "a rose for emily"
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William Faulkner stories were usually written within the setting of his home town of Mississippi. Posed after the Civil War and with a twist as we see in “A Rose for Emily”. As a matter of fact, this particular story could be Faulkner’s own family with the similarities of the setting and the fact that both Emily’s and Faulkner family lost the influence it once had. In both version, film and the literary story, of “A Rose of Emily”, William Faulkner starts the story the same as he ends it; with the death of Emily Grierson. Along with the fall of a prominent family and the mental abuse of Emily by her father. In the book, we can see how Faulkner takes his time to paint the picture of the scenery for the readers, “It was a big, squarish frame …show more content…
In all the scenes, after Emily purchased the poison, you never hear her speak of the poison again or even show it in either story. Both version just shows a stun reader and audience the corpse of Homer, which is then made clear Emily’s purpose for buying the poison and her intent of its use. Though the gossip girls, assumed Miss Emily had purchased the poison for herself and they were ok with that. Even gave their blessings to Miss Emily to commit suicide, “So the next day we all said, “She will kill herself”; and we said it would be the best thing” (85). Even when the stench oozed from Emily’s house was so bad, the town’s people just chalked it up to dirty housekeeping. The ladies said, “No man could keep a kitchen properly” (83). After the towns’ judge refused to speak with Miss Emily, some of the men went over to Emily’s one night and spread lime all around the house and down the cellar. This eventually did the trick for the smell or was it just a coincidence that the rotting body of Homer had reach the stage where it no longer
"William Faulkner: The Faded Rose of Emily." Mr. Renaissance. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011 .
Faulkner has created a masterful piece of story telling in taking the reader through a suspenseful and captivating story. The effective use of foreshadowing does not diminish the climax of the story but rather enhance it by not giving out the details, but leaving it to the imagination of the reader. Through the organization of the structure of the storyline mixing with clever clues, Faulkner transforms Emily through the many tragic stages of her life and the ever-accompanying presence of death.
The story makes it harder for first time readers to comprehend what is going on since things are backwards, but in the movie version we see the courtship of Emily and Homer, see her buy poison, and then a rancid smell omitting from her house (Moore). That confusion is what makes the reader craving more instead of the expectedness that comes along with the film. When the reader is lost, he/she is more focused on trying to figure out where they are on the timeline and what is going on causing them to miss the subtle clues thought the story. In the story, Emily wouldn’t automatically be assumed as a murder, but rather she would be seen as a lonely woman secluded from the outside
The author, William Faulkner, has a collection of books, short stories, and poems under his name. Through his vast collection of works, Faulkner attempts to discuss and bring awareness to numerous aspects of life. More often than not, his works were created to reflect aspects of life found within the south. Family dynamics, race, gender, social class, war, incest, racism, suicide, necrophilia, and mental illness are just some of the aspects that Faulkner explored. In “A Rose for Emily” the aspects of necrophilia and mental illness along with the societal biases that were observed in a small-town setting are seen to be a part of this captivating story. These aspects ultimately intertwine with the idea of insanity that characterizes “A Rose for Emily.
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.
In “ A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner tells the complex tale of a woman who is battered by time and unable to move through life after the loss of each significant male figure in her life. Unlike Disney Stories, there is no prince charming to rescue fallen princess, and her assumed misery becomes the subject of everyone in the town of Jefferson, Mississippi. As the townspeople gossip about her and develop various scenarios to account for her behaviors and the unknown details of her life, Emily Grierson serves as a scapegoat for the lower classes to validate their lives. In telling this story, Faulkner decides to take an unusual approach; he utilizes a narrator to convey the details of a first-person tale, by examining chronology, the role of the narrator and the interpretations of “A Rose for Emily”, it can be seen that this story is impossible to tell without a narrator.
William Faulkner (1897-1962) is known for his portrayals of the tragic conflict between the old and the new South. The majority of Faulkner's works are centered on his hometown of Oxford, in Lafayette County, Mississippi. In his works of fiction, his hometown is used, but is renamed to Jefferson, in Yoknapatawpha County. This author's fiction recreates more than a century of life in the town of Jefferson a few years before, during and after the Civil War. Many different types of people come into focus in his literature. A Rose for Emily easily fits into Faulkner’s pattern of fiction writing. The present, or “new south” agenda was expressed several ways in A Rose for Emily; through the words of the narrator, the new Board of Aldermen, Homer Barron (the Yankee), and in what was called “the next generation with its more modern ideas” (354). This technique is not unusual for Faulkner. It is present in many of his works and that is why A Rose for Emily is easily interpreted. In A Rose for Emily, Faulkner discussed those conflicting values of the past and present and point out those values that are misrepresented and those that continue to have meaning for today by contrasting the past with the present era as he descriptively portrayed unusual characters.
In “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner both main characters are portrayed as irrational and are isolated from reality. The narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” murders an elderly man, as he is fearful of the man’s eye. Emily Grierson in “A Rose for Emily” lives secluded from society, until she marries a man, Homer. She ultimately kills Homer in his bed and leaves his body to decompose for many years. Both the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Emily Grierson in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” deny reality so vehemently that they isolate themselves from reality. Their isolation and denial of reality cause both to commit murder.
Faulkner lives the majority of his life looking back and remembering the past, similar to Emily’s lifestyle in “A Rose for Emily”. Tracey Matthews, author of “Introduction to Faulkner, William (1897-1962)”, writes that “many of Faulkner’s novels and short stories are set in Yoknapatawha County, a fictional area reflecting the geographical and cultural background of his native Mississippi” (104). Never forgetting his home state of Mississippi, Faulkner loves to create fictional characters that live in a made up town in the south. This short story about insecurity and longing bring alive Faulkner’s passion for writing about obsessions. The author embraces modernistic literature in “A Rose for Emily” by exhibiting a changing community leaving many traditions as a thing of the
Faulkner, William. “A Rose For Emily.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Ed. Nina Baym et al. Shorter 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: Norton, 2013. 151-55. Print. 2 vols.
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.
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. .
In "A Rose for Emily," William Faulkner's use of setting and characterization foreshadows and builds up to the climax of the story. His use of metaphors prepares the reader for the bittersweet ending. A theme of respectability and the loss of, is threaded throughout the story. Appropriately, the story begins with death, flashes back to the past and hints towards the demise of a woman and the traditions of the past she personifies. Faulkner has carefully crafted a multi-layered masterpiece, and he uses setting, characterization, and theme to move it along.
In “A Rose for Emily”, by William Faulkner, Emily Geierson is a woman that faces many difficulties throughout her lifetime. Emily Geierson was once a cheerful and bright lady who turned mysterious and dark through a serious of tragic events. The lost of the two men, whom she loved, left Emily devastated and in denial. Faulkner used these difficulties to define Emily’s fascinating character that is revealed throughout the short story. William Faulkner uses characterization in “A Rose for Emily”, to illustrate Miss Emily as a stubborn, overly attached, and introverted woman.
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2012. 84-90. Print.