This Big Beautiful House Analysis

Women in the 1800’s had few obligations in life. Unlike now, young girls growing up were not sent to school to get an education. Instead, it was the job of a young girl to learn the roles of the housewife or mother. These girls would learn to do chores, clean house, cook dinners, and various other household activities starting a fairly young age. Girls were raised in this way so that one day they will make a decent wife to a husband, possibly of the parents choosing, so that she can keep her husband happy. Once a woman was married, her final obligation was to bear children for her husband and raise those girls as her mother raised her. It is obvious that times and everyday life has changed significantly for the better. In the short story, “A
In 1850, a staggering 70% of the elderly lived in the same households as their children (Burkett). Emily’s house is described as being “A big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street” (Faulkner 451). This indicates that Emily, her father, and their Negro man servant lived in an incredibly large house, with an abundance of room for people and gatherings. Because it was only the three of them living in this house, it is suggested that Emily’s father had something like an aristocratic status with his peers. He is able to afford this luxurious, spacious house, and a man servant, and he is able to keep any man away from his daughter that may be interested in courting her or anything else of that nature. Positional goods is a term used to describe goods that limit gains from growth. This would cause the growth consumption to begin increasing, but this extra consumption because of this extra growth does not lead to extra income to provide for the extra consumption (Hirsch). Cotton Gins were very popular in and around the 1830’s, “A Rose for Emily” takes place mostly around the 1870’s and later. This proves that the house Emily lives in is very dated and its surroundings really have become engulfed with nothing but old, forgotten machines, among other things. When Emily’s father bought this house, it may have been to let his peers and society know that he is wealthy and of a high status. However, after this investment, may not have had the money to leave for Miss Emily so that she could move and change with the rest of