A Rose For Emily Essay
A Rose for Emily In the short story “A Rose for Emily” the author William Faulkner use literary devices to describe feminism as it relates to the main character Emily. The author starts off the narrative by relating Emily to a patriarchal woman, a woman who has internalized the norms and the values of a patriarch. Emily shows early on in the short story that she is not a fan of the traditional gender roles in her society. She takes a stand by not paying taxes and even with her ride on the bike into town with Homer. The overall viewpoint that Faulkner is providing is that Emily lived in an era where society categorizes, criticizes, and subjects women. Emily grew up in a household where her father was really a dictator. The early 1930s was
…show more content…
The right, wants, and needs of women were often times not even discussed. The social standard that was set before women in the 1930s is that they were beneath the man. They played two complete different gender roles and were never viewed as equal. This sexist viewpoint may not have been noticed when it comes to Emily being that she was a single woman at the outset. However, she still experiences this way of thinking because of who her father is. Emily can be in a way viewed as a victim of the puritan womanhood, although not completely. She, is dominated by her tyrannical father, she never lives her own life. She controls herself to not violate the standards imposed on her by the society. However, later on, after her father's death Emily gets into a love affair with Homer Barron, a Yankee. Such acts are condemned in southern society. Due to that, her change in the conduct may be interpreted as a silent protest against tradition. At this point Emily does what all feminists do - she rebels against the limitations, gender rules imposed by patriarchal social forces. It does not matter that later on she is left by Homer and her brave acting comes to nothing. What only matters is her defense against the limitations and protection of her rights as a woman. A Rose for Emily completely shows how the south has nnot advanced as a society. Instead of women being viewed as equal they are
The right, wants, and needs of women were often times not even discussed. The social standard that was set before women in the 1930s is that they were beneath the man. They played two complete different gender roles and were never viewed as equal. This sexist viewpoint may not have been noticed when it comes to Emily being that she was a single woman at the outset. However, she still experiences this way of thinking because of who her father is. Emily can be in a way viewed as a victim of the puritan womanhood, although not completely. She, is dominated by her tyrannical father, she never lives her own life. She controls herself to not violate the standards imposed on her by the society. However, later on, after her father's death Emily gets into a love affair with Homer Barron, a Yankee. Such acts are condemned in southern society. Due to that, her change in the conduct may be interpreted as a silent protest against tradition. At this point Emily does what all feminists do - she rebels against the limitations, gender rules imposed by patriarchal social forces. It does not matter that later on she is left by Homer and her brave acting comes to nothing. What only matters is her defense against the limitations and protection of her rights as a woman. A Rose for Emily completely shows how the south has nnot advanced as a society. Instead of women being viewed as equal they are