A Rose For Emily Setting Analysis
A Rose for Emily, is a tragic story of a young women who was denied the privilege to love and be loved at young age. The author, William Faulkner, was born and raised in Mississippi at the turn of the century. Faulkner is known as one of the 20th century’s best writers. “The man himself never stood taller than five feet, six inches tall, but in the realm of American literature, William Faulkner is a giant” (“William Faulkner”). In the short story A Rose for Emily, Faulkner ties the story together through setting, foreshadowing, symbolism, and most importantly the characters.
Setting is one of the literary elements Faulkner used. The way he used the setting and time period in this story is important because it provides meaning behind the words …show more content…
“A little too high for what they really were,” claimed the narrator (Kelly, 158). When Miss Emily’s father died, “it got about that the house was all that was left to her” (Kelly, 159).
Another aspic of A Rose for Emily is symbolism. Even though it is said that “Faulkner himself disowned symbolic readings” (Kelly, 155) there are a few symbolic elements intertwined in this great mystery. It is ironic that Faulkner disowned symbolic readings, yet the overall story of A Rose for Emily is said to be symbolic. “Nearly all critics think Emily symbolizes the decay of the old order, the dissolution of the Southern aristocracy.” (Kelly, 155).
One could interpret the death scene of Miss Emily as symbolic. “And so she died. Fell ill in the house filled with dust and shadows…” (Kelly, 163). Dust is a pile of dirt that keeps growing, if not taken care of; which is symbolic of the tragic life of Miss Emily. There is such a buildup of sorrow in her life, and she just keeps it hidden away inside her. The effect it had on her became so great that it drove her insane, literally. A shadow is something that lurks behind someone and never leaves them; which is symbolic of the shadow of the wrong Miss Emily committed, in murdering Homer Barron, lurking behind
Setting is one of the literary elements Faulkner used. The way he used the setting and time period in this story is important because it provides meaning behind the words …show more content…
“A little too high for what they really were,” claimed the narrator (Kelly, 158). When Miss Emily’s father died, “it got about that the house was all that was left to her” (Kelly, 159).
Another aspic of A Rose for Emily is symbolism. Even though it is said that “Faulkner himself disowned symbolic readings” (Kelly, 155) there are a few symbolic elements intertwined in this great mystery. It is ironic that Faulkner disowned symbolic readings, yet the overall story of A Rose for Emily is said to be symbolic. “Nearly all critics think Emily symbolizes the decay of the old order, the dissolution of the Southern aristocracy.” (Kelly, 155).
One could interpret the death scene of Miss Emily as symbolic. “And so she died. Fell ill in the house filled with dust and shadows…” (Kelly, 163). Dust is a pile of dirt that keeps growing, if not taken care of; which is symbolic of the tragic life of Miss Emily. There is such a buildup of sorrow in her life, and she just keeps it hidden away inside her. The effect it had on her became so great that it drove her insane, literally. A shadow is something that lurks behind someone and never leaves them; which is symbolic of the shadow of the wrong Miss Emily committed, in murdering Homer Barron, lurking behind