A Rose For Emily Mental Illness
In this research project essay, in one of William Faulkner’s short stories “A Rose for Emily” discussing some the traumatic events that happened in Emily’s life that caused to suffer from many medical diagnosed disorders. Emily has two major disorders; Agoraphobia and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or more commonly known as PTSD. There are many situations that may have caused Emily to develop these disorders and the side effects that contributed to the disorders. Showing all of the side effects and how Emily handled them. Also including if Emily truly had these disorders based off the medical documents, and not inferred based on a person opinion or thoughts.
According to the U.S National Library of Medicine “Agoraphobia is when a person repeatedly …show more content…
has a full-blown panic attack from a certain place or situation, where they feel helplessness or embarrassment in the past”. This can directly influence a person’s life and the way they live. For example, say a person has a panic attack in an elevator one time, for the rest of that person life they may avoid any building or place that has an elevator. Not seeming like a big deal, but trying to avoid common object like an elevator over the course of a person’s life can really put a restraint many aspects of living. This is being a prime example of Agoraphobia. The worse part about this disorder is that many people who have this disorder never get diagnosed. Because they think it is just part of their everyday life. Doctors say that patients will go years and years of not knowing what is wrong before they can correctly figure out what is going on. The disorder can be prevented if it is treated right, early on. They treat mental illnesses like this with cognitive drugs and therapy. A scary thing that most of the people who have this disorder, also suffer from serval other different anxiety disorders in their life. Now for an overview of the disorder itself, PTSD.
“It is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event in their life. It is natural for a person to feel afraid during a traumatic situation”. People bodies go through split-second changes to help defend against danger. The people that continue to struggle with these symptoms even when they are not stressed or in danger, may be diagnosed with PTSD. Every person develops their own symptoms differently because every person went through a different level of traumatic event. Some people have very chronic symptoms, while others have more acute or short-term symptoms. There are four different types of symptoms, re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal, reactivity, and two cognition moods. Re-experiencing symptoms include flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts. Avoidance includes staying away from a certain places or thoughts that are related to that certain event. Arousal and reactivity symptoms included: being easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, having difficulty sleeping, and having angry outburst. The cognition and moods make the person not remember key features to the traumatic event, giving negative thoughts to their self, guilt or blame, and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. To be diagnosed with PTSD a person must have at least one of each of these …show more content…
symptoms. There are many reasons why Emily suffered from Agoraphobia, but all the problems of her and disorders come back to the main issue which was her father. One of the main reasons I think Emily never left her house very much is that she was most likely abused very badly after the times she left the house at a young age. Also, she was around her father, who spoke negative thoughts about leaving the house. Leaving Emily brainwashed, and there forth she had a bad idea in her mind about anywhere but in her house. This directly relates to the disorder of Agoraphobia, because Emily had a bad experience or panic attack after she left the house. Which, then leading Emily to avoiding the outside world. Putting a huge impact on outcome of the entire life of Emily Grierson. Emily had very little interaction with other humans all the way through her childhood and her adult life, because of her father. For example, “Emily’s father did not let her date, and always scared off anyone that tried to date Emily” (Faulker100). Contributing with such a bad memory of interaction with other humans to Emily, that even years after her father’s death she still stuck to the same principles she had when she was around her father. Giving another key fact that Emily Grierson had the mental anxiety disorder of Agoraphobia. Knowing this because she had a traumatic event/situation, making her avoid a certain situation for the rest of her life. In Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” and having seen Emily deal with the Agoraphobia.
Not helping but to think of what her life would have been like if she had gotten help from a doctor or psychologist. If she had any help at all it could have completely changed the outlook of her life and the story. It is crazy too think that one traumatic event in a person’s life can lead to avoid a place or situation entirely. Impacting not only the person that experienced the traumatic event, but all the people surrounding them. That have to deal with the sacrifices that person is making to stay away from a certain location or situation in everyday
activities. The Agoraphobia is just one Emily Grierson disorders, but most people do not see this as her major disorder, which is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. A common anxiety that occurs to many people around the world. Going back to paragraph three, and see that this disorder happens to people that have experienced a serious traumatic event in their life and still feels the side effects of it long after. Just like the Agoraphobia anxiety disorder, PTSD has the same exact source, which Emily’s father. Emily being abused her whole entire life, and only relying on one person really messed her up whenever her father passed away. Throughout the whole short story Emily showed all the signs of a person that has PTSD. All of the disorders and side effects that come with them, are directly related to the way Emily was treated during her young age and all the way up till her father was gone. One of the main reasons why Emily had such a hard time dealing with her father’s death is because that was the only person she interacted with for such a long time. Mr. Grierson did not let Emily “associate with other people or even date guys when she was old enough to” (Faulkner100). Barely even letting Emily leave the house. He did this because he did not want other people to find out that he as abusing her, and if she was around other people she would most likely tell them not knowing it was bad. Also, a very important reason Mr. Grierson did not want Emily congregating with people outside of her home is because she would figure that there is better things life than just sitting at home and doing nothing. Emily struggled so badly with her father dying because she had been controlled and abused for such a long period of time that she did not even know what to do with her life at that point. Leading her to avoid everything that her father told her too, even when he is not there to do anything about it. Being one of the main symptoms of PTSD, which is avoidance because she does not want any of the bad things that happened to happen to her again.
Although no one knows truly how bad Emily was abused throughout her life time, everyone that has read the short story can tell that she is very mentally unstable as a person and suffered from some the most extreme symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Emily remains hidden from the world, and even develops her own sense of laws and conduct. Like when “she refuses to pay taxes to the town and state why she was buying the arsenic poison to the casher” (Faulkner99). Emily is just such oblivion to the right ways of doing things because the PTSD is so severe, that she is living inside of her own head and does not even know she is doing anything wrong. The symptoms and anxiety get so out of control for Emily that the story takes a very sinister turn at the end. Emily kills a man that tried to leave her, being Homer. When the story suggest that she is a Necrophilia’s which usually means attracted to dead bodies. This is when the readers truly see that Emily could not let go of another person after her father died. She keeps Homer’s dead body in the attic and no one really knows what she did to the body, but after evaluating and trying to interpret what happen to Homer, there is no way all those actions didn’t directly come from PTSD.
In conclusion anxiety disorders can do a lot to a person’s life often altering their decisions and many other aspects of their life. Just like in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” where all of the events that happen are directly related to the anxiety disorders of Emily Grierson.
According to the U.S National Library of Medicine “Agoraphobia is when a person repeatedly …show more content…
has a full-blown panic attack from a certain place or situation, where they feel helplessness or embarrassment in the past”. This can directly influence a person’s life and the way they live. For example, say a person has a panic attack in an elevator one time, for the rest of that person life they may avoid any building or place that has an elevator. Not seeming like a big deal, but trying to avoid common object like an elevator over the course of a person’s life can really put a restraint many aspects of living. This is being a prime example of Agoraphobia. The worse part about this disorder is that many people who have this disorder never get diagnosed. Because they think it is just part of their everyday life. Doctors say that patients will go years and years of not knowing what is wrong before they can correctly figure out what is going on. The disorder can be prevented if it is treated right, early on. They treat mental illnesses like this with cognitive drugs and therapy. A scary thing that most of the people who have this disorder, also suffer from serval other different anxiety disorders in their life. Now for an overview of the disorder itself, PTSD.
“It is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event in their life. It is natural for a person to feel afraid during a traumatic situation”. People bodies go through split-second changes to help defend against danger. The people that continue to struggle with these symptoms even when they are not stressed or in danger, may be diagnosed with PTSD. Every person develops their own symptoms differently because every person went through a different level of traumatic event. Some people have very chronic symptoms, while others have more acute or short-term symptoms. There are four different types of symptoms, re-experiencing, avoidance, arousal, reactivity, and two cognition moods. Re-experiencing symptoms include flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts. Avoidance includes staying away from a certain places or thoughts that are related to that certain event. Arousal and reactivity symptoms included: being easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, having difficulty sleeping, and having angry outburst. The cognition and moods make the person not remember key features to the traumatic event, giving negative thoughts to their self, guilt or blame, and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. To be diagnosed with PTSD a person must have at least one of each of these …show more content…
symptoms. There are many reasons why Emily suffered from Agoraphobia, but all the problems of her and disorders come back to the main issue which was her father. One of the main reasons I think Emily never left her house very much is that she was most likely abused very badly after the times she left the house at a young age. Also, she was around her father, who spoke negative thoughts about leaving the house. Leaving Emily brainwashed, and there forth she had a bad idea in her mind about anywhere but in her house. This directly relates to the disorder of Agoraphobia, because Emily had a bad experience or panic attack after she left the house. Which, then leading Emily to avoiding the outside world. Putting a huge impact on outcome of the entire life of Emily Grierson. Emily had very little interaction with other humans all the way through her childhood and her adult life, because of her father. For example, “Emily’s father did not let her date, and always scared off anyone that tried to date Emily” (Faulker100). Contributing with such a bad memory of interaction with other humans to Emily, that even years after her father’s death she still stuck to the same principles she had when she was around her father. Giving another key fact that Emily Grierson had the mental anxiety disorder of Agoraphobia. Knowing this because she had a traumatic event/situation, making her avoid a certain situation for the rest of her life. In Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” and having seen Emily deal with the Agoraphobia.
Not helping but to think of what her life would have been like if she had gotten help from a doctor or psychologist. If she had any help at all it could have completely changed the outlook of her life and the story. It is crazy too think that one traumatic event in a person’s life can lead to avoid a place or situation entirely. Impacting not only the person that experienced the traumatic event, but all the people surrounding them. That have to deal with the sacrifices that person is making to stay away from a certain location or situation in everyday
activities. The Agoraphobia is just one Emily Grierson disorders, but most people do not see this as her major disorder, which is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. A common anxiety that occurs to many people around the world. Going back to paragraph three, and see that this disorder happens to people that have experienced a serious traumatic event in their life and still feels the side effects of it long after. Just like the Agoraphobia anxiety disorder, PTSD has the same exact source, which Emily’s father. Emily being abused her whole entire life, and only relying on one person really messed her up whenever her father passed away. Throughout the whole short story Emily showed all the signs of a person that has PTSD. All of the disorders and side effects that come with them, are directly related to the way Emily was treated during her young age and all the way up till her father was gone. One of the main reasons why Emily had such a hard time dealing with her father’s death is because that was the only person she interacted with for such a long time. Mr. Grierson did not let Emily “associate with other people or even date guys when she was old enough to” (Faulkner100). Barely even letting Emily leave the house. He did this because he did not want other people to find out that he as abusing her, and if she was around other people she would most likely tell them not knowing it was bad. Also, a very important reason Mr. Grierson did not want Emily congregating with people outside of her home is because she would figure that there is better things life than just sitting at home and doing nothing. Emily struggled so badly with her father dying because she had been controlled and abused for such a long period of time that she did not even know what to do with her life at that point. Leading her to avoid everything that her father told her too, even when he is not there to do anything about it. Being one of the main symptoms of PTSD, which is avoidance because she does not want any of the bad things that happened to happen to her again.
Although no one knows truly how bad Emily was abused throughout her life time, everyone that has read the short story can tell that she is very mentally unstable as a person and suffered from some the most extreme symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Emily remains hidden from the world, and even develops her own sense of laws and conduct. Like when “she refuses to pay taxes to the town and state why she was buying the arsenic poison to the casher” (Faulkner99). Emily is just such oblivion to the right ways of doing things because the PTSD is so severe, that she is living inside of her own head and does not even know she is doing anything wrong. The symptoms and anxiety get so out of control for Emily that the story takes a very sinister turn at the end. Emily kills a man that tried to leave her, being Homer. When the story suggest that she is a Necrophilia’s which usually means attracted to dead bodies. This is when the readers truly see that Emily could not let go of another person after her father died. She keeps Homer’s dead body in the attic and no one really knows what she did to the body, but after evaluating and trying to interpret what happen to Homer, there is no way all those actions didn’t directly come from PTSD.
In conclusion anxiety disorders can do a lot to a person’s life often altering their decisions and many other aspects of their life. Just like in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” where all of the events that happen are directly related to the anxiety disorders of Emily Grierson.