Preview

The Importance of Setting in a Rose for Emily

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
876 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Importance of Setting in a Rose for Emily
May 16th 2011

The Importance of Setting in A Rose for Emily.

Setting often provides more then just a mere backdrop for the action in the story. It is probably the most important part of the putting together a story. In this story the setting is a reflection of the character as much as the town. The physical setting, time setting and cultural settings are all important parts of this short story,

Physical setting is to give the readers a sense of what the environment is for the story. The physical setting for A rose for Emily is important because it reflect the life of Emily, the main character. In this story the setting takes place in the southern town of Jefferson. Miss Emily Grierson lived in a house that had a “big squarish frame that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies.” A house so beautiful it was meant for some body of high stature. The house was so old that is “smelled of dust and disuse.”

The scenes in this story most take place in the town and in Miss Emily’s house. A great example of a physical setting is when Faulkner describes the town’s men sprinkling lime around her property to get rid of a bad smell. “As they re crossed the lawn, a window that had been darkness was lighted and Miss Emily sat in it, the light behind her, and her upright torso motionless as that of an idol.” It was almost like you were there with the men feeling the same creepy feeling, when seeing her in the window. Another great physical description of setting is when Faulkner describes Miss Emily’s death. “She dies in one of the downstairs rooms, in a heavy walnut bed with a curtain, her grey head propped on a pillow yellow and moldy with age and lack of sunlight.” Faulkner does a great job at leaving us with a powerful image of the physical.

Time period is an essential part to any story. It helps the reader to understand the language that is used and the way it was acceptable to live and dress. The time setting for

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    'A Rose for Emily': Q&A

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Faulkner describes Emily as a lone woman with no life. The words he uses paint an image that she’s just a creepy lady who lets no one in her house .that the end of the story the town people final get to go into Emily’s house after she died. To their surprise they discover a homers old dead body in the top…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    5. From the list above, choose two stories that particularly interest you. Start out by defining for your reader the exact time and place for each story. Then, go on to show how this setting functions in each story. Does the setting supply atmosphere? Make things happen? Reveal the natures of certain people? Prompt a character to a realization [750 words]?…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a surprising short story that begins with the funeral of the main character, Emily Grierson. Faulkner uses an anonymous narrator that is considered to be the voice of “the town” and tells the story out of chronological order. The story basically uses the life of Emily Grierson as a symbol for the changes in the South after the Civil War. Faulkner illustrates the South through the use of a series of symbols, such as Emily’s house, hair, and even Emily’s “rose”.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The haunted house setting used in "A Rose for Emily"� is a classic idea used by many writers and movie directors. The old house in the middle of a field begins to set the tone that people avoid this place as much as possible. Then Faulkner throws in over grown weeds and a decaying old look to show the reader that this house has its own secrets to hide. With only the setting, even the most casual reader can tell that this story is going to have a bizarre or even morbid ending. Throughout the tale Faulkner also gives small details of the inside of the house such as dusty and moldy furniture.…

    • 433 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In order to understand William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” you need to know a little bit about the author. Most of his novels take place in the state of Mississippi with colorful history and richly varied population. The frequent theme in his novels is the abuse of black people by Southern whites. “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the late 1800s in Mississippi after the civil war. The main character is Emily, who comes from wealthy background, but at the time of the story her family has lost its fortune. Faulkner uses a great deal of visual imagery that can illuminate Emily’s life. The author suggests that her father is a dominant character who does not allow his daughter to behave a certain way that would compromise their good name, and through these images one can see why these events lead the main character to a tragic end.…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Firstly, Jackson portrays a setting in which she tells the reader what time of day and what time of year the event takes place. This is important to get the reader to focus on what a typical day it is in this small town. The…

    • 1313 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily’’ we think about who is Emily, what does the rose symbolizes, and most of all who is the narrator. Throughout most of Faulkner’s story for me as a reader I wanted to figure that out. In the beginning Emily is presented as a woman who grew up wealthy never having to worry about anything. But over time things changed after her father’s death. Later on, Emily never really takes notice of the present.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The short story “A rose for Emily” published in 1930 by William Faulkner focuses on the life of Emily Grierson, a woman who is from a rich family and, now has to deal with her loneliness after her father’s death. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a complex and dark story that keeps readers guessing and intrigued by Faulkner’s abundant use of literally elements. Faulkner’s use of symbolism in the story is used to enhance the plot and create meaning. The point of view by the use of the unnamed narrator in “A Rose for Emily” makes readers question the identity of the speaker. "A Rose for Emily" recalls the terms of Southern gothic literature that sets the tone of the story as gloomy and grotesque.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The narrator begins introducing the fact that Emily has passed away, but there is still a lot of speculation about her mysterious life "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her 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 man-servant—a combined gardener and cook—had seen in at least ten years"(Faulkner, 1). Faulkner chooses to reveal Emily through the eyes of whom regards her to be the most important character in the story. According to Ruth Sullivan "A Rose for Emily" is first-person narration, hence subject to the questions one usually puts in understanding such a story. For instance, who is the narrator and what is his relationship to the main action? Why did the author choose this particular narrator for this particular story? (Sullivan, 159). From the introduction in the story, it is possible to make the assumption that the narrator might be one of Emily's neighbors who somehow has witnessed every single event as narrated in the story. Despite this assumption it is not clear whether he/she is a close neighbor or a complete outsider as he/she remains in anonymity during the whole…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a mysterious and fetid smell around Miss Emily Grierson's house. When an elderly neighbor complains to old Judge Stevens, he asks, "But what will you have me do about it, madam?" The next day there are two more complaints. Finally, at midnight one evening, four men sneak around and sprinkle lime near the foundation, the cellar door, and all the outbuildings. When they recross the yard, the men see a light on in a window; Miss Emily's upright torso is "motionless as an idol." In a week or so, the smell is gone, and the source of this odor is not determined.…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay: a Rose for Emily

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the short story “A Rose for Emily”, the reader can conclude that Emily appears to have had schizophrenia by way she interacts in the town. Emily’s mental problems start to come to light to the reader when she begins having hallucinations. The reader gains further background and further sees mental instability in Emily right after her father dies. The town people also begin to see that there are mental issues with Emily, yet do not want to make it known to keep the integrity of the town. Emily’s inability to form age appropriate coping skills furthers the point of schizophrenia.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Rose for Emily Essay

    • 290 Words
    • 1 Page

    In a “Rose for Emily” one can feel sympathetic towards the main character, Emily. Her father is a very strict man who did not feel anyone was good enough for his daughter. He did not let her partake in their community or experience love. This left Emily emotionally unbalanced. As a result, Emily is a recluse who cannot deal with the thought of being abandoned.…

    • 290 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    How important is the setting (time and place) to this novel? Could the story have taken place in a different setting? Why or why not? Cite evidence from the text and explain your reasoning.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the two instances, we see the sympathetic tone of the community towards Emily. Additionally, Faulkner manages to make readers angry when by portraying the Jefferson community as doing too little to improve the condition of Miss Emily despite observing the odds. For instance, Miss Emily never interacted with most of the townspeople, yet they readers get information about Miss Emily through their rumor mills. It is as if the entire town conspired against the Miss Emily. Annoyingly, the townspeople seem to wish death for Miss Emily.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays