Point of View/Atmosphere in a Rose for Emily
Heather Horton
English 1302
2/28/11
“Point of View/Atmosphere in ’A Rose for Emily’ ”
“A Rose for Emily” is a well thought out short story by William Faulkner published on April 30, 1931. This short story is told from the townspeople of Jefferson (first-person) to create a point of view to be able to see from the outside of the situation getting an insight on reality of the plot. At the beginning of “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner immediately sets a tone. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant – a combined gardener and cook – had seen in at least ten years”(Faulkner 30). This brings curiosity of why Emily never came outside of her house and shows that something had happened; the killing of Homer Barron. Faulkner puts literary elements to good use, especially point of view and atmosphere.
Faulkner speaks from an Omniscient point of view, which is an all knowing narrator with multiple perspectives and an Objective point of view which is a detached observer. The story begins with Miss Emily passing away which gives the reader an insight into the main character by giving a hint of the stories plot. Using an objective point of view leads the reader to make conclusions and interpret the story when have read all the needed information.
Writing in an Omniscient point of view gives you an insight coming from the outside looking in on all of the characters perspectives. This brings to what the townspeople think about Miss Emily, and why the townspeople act the way they act when Emily has passed. If this story would have came from Miss Emily’s point of view, the short story would have been perceived quite differently. Miss Emily was delirious, the least to say, behind the closed doors. If told from Emily, the story would have been of much more confusion and
English 1302
2/28/11
“Point of View/Atmosphere in ’A Rose for Emily’ ”
“A Rose for Emily” is a well thought out short story by William Faulkner published on April 30, 1931. This short story is told from the townspeople of Jefferson (first-person) to create a point of view to be able to see from the outside of the situation getting an insight on reality of the plot. At the beginning of “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner immediately sets a tone. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant – a combined gardener and cook – had seen in at least ten years”(Faulkner 30). This brings curiosity of why Emily never came outside of her house and shows that something had happened; the killing of Homer Barron. Faulkner puts literary elements to good use, especially point of view and atmosphere.
Faulkner speaks from an Omniscient point of view, which is an all knowing narrator with multiple perspectives and an Objective point of view which is a detached observer. The story begins with Miss Emily passing away which gives the reader an insight into the main character by giving a hint of the stories plot. Using an objective point of view leads the reader to make conclusions and interpret the story when have read all the needed information.
Writing in an Omniscient point of view gives you an insight coming from the outside looking in on all of the characters perspectives. This brings to what the townspeople think about Miss Emily, and why the townspeople act the way they act when Emily has passed. If this story would have came from Miss Emily’s point of view, the short story would have been perceived quite differently. Miss Emily was delirious, the least to say, behind the closed doors. If told from Emily, the story would have been of much more confusion and