The Use of Foreshadowing in "A Rose for Emily"
May 19, 2013
A Rose for Emily, in the “Foreshadows”
“A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner’s most widely anthologized short story has been analyzed and debated over the possible meanings for many years. The story is told by a narrator who leads the reader through a maze of chronology meant to confuse the reader with the years and give hints of what is to come with use of foreshadowing. The focus is on Miss Emily’s bizarre affair and how it affronts the chivalric notion of the old south (Burduck). The author reveals Miss Emily was repressed by her father and made to stand by his side as he denied all would be suitors. When she finally meets Homer Barron she becomes even more the subject of gossip by the townspeople for her disgraceful affair in the small white community. As the affair unfolds there are hints of homosexuality in Homer Barron leading the reader to wonder how this will end as the narrator spins the story to a different time. The symbolism is strong throughout the written story, beginning with Miss Emily herself as the reader sees her refuse “to submit to, or to concede, the inevitability of change” (Skinner). The narrator is thought by some to exact a measure of revenge by telling the tale and attempting to relieve the grief produced by Homer Barron 's rejection of Miss Emily, making the narrator himself, the protagonist in the story (Dilworth). The most interesting part of the story is in the end when Homer Barron’s murder and Miss Emily’s necrophilia are discovered. Unfortunately, the feeling of surprise, revulsion, and that “ah-ha! I knew it all along!” one gets reading the story is not carried into the movie. It is only in the written version of the story that the mixed chronology allows for the strong use of foreshadowing to give clues of the murder of Homer Barron. The climax of the story comes with the discovery of Homer’s corpse in the upstairs. The death was first introduced in the beginning of the story with “the smell” shortly
A Rose for Emily, in the “Foreshadows”
“A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner’s most widely anthologized short story has been analyzed and debated over the possible meanings for many years. The story is told by a narrator who leads the reader through a maze of chronology meant to confuse the reader with the years and give hints of what is to come with use of foreshadowing. The focus is on Miss Emily’s bizarre affair and how it affronts the chivalric notion of the old south (Burduck). The author reveals Miss Emily was repressed by her father and made to stand by his side as he denied all would be suitors. When she finally meets Homer Barron she becomes even more the subject of gossip by the townspeople for her disgraceful affair in the small white community. As the affair unfolds there are hints of homosexuality in Homer Barron leading the reader to wonder how this will end as the narrator spins the story to a different time. The symbolism is strong throughout the written story, beginning with Miss Emily herself as the reader sees her refuse “to submit to, or to concede, the inevitability of change” (Skinner). The narrator is thought by some to exact a measure of revenge by telling the tale and attempting to relieve the grief produced by Homer Barron 's rejection of Miss Emily, making the narrator himself, the protagonist in the story (Dilworth). The most interesting part of the story is in the end when Homer Barron’s murder and Miss Emily’s necrophilia are discovered. Unfortunately, the feeling of surprise, revulsion, and that “ah-ha! I knew it all along!” one gets reading the story is not carried into the movie. It is only in the written version of the story that the mixed chronology allows for the strong use of foreshadowing to give clues of the murder of Homer Barron. The climax of the story comes with the discovery of Homer’s corpse in the upstairs. The death was first introduced in the beginning of the story with “the smell” shortly
Cited: Burduck, Michael L. "Another View of Faulkner 's Narrator in 'A Rose for Emily '." The University of Mississippi Studies in English 8 (1990): 209-211. Rpt. in Literature Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 June 2013.http://go.galegroup.com. portal.lib.fit.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE %7CH1420022908&v=2.1&u=melb26933&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w Dilworth, Thomas. "A Romance to Kill for: Homicidal Complicity in Faulkner 's "A Rose for Emily"." Studies in Short Fiction 36.3 (1999): 251-251+. ProQuest. Web. 5 June 2013 Myer, Michael. “A Rose for Emily”. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. (2012): 84 – 90. Skinner, John L. “A Rose for Emily”: Against Interpretation.” Journal of Narrative Technique VOL. 15, No. 1 (Winter, 1985), pp. 42-51. http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/30225110?uid=3739960&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102238838961