William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily: An Analysis
Through a series of its own renaissances, the South has become a vast organism; it is ever-changing, unique, and cognizant. Literary works that arose from the South are the breath of this organism, and Southern Gothic literature has risen from the South as a way to exercise the thoughts of this creature. The fabled and tumultuous history of the South has shaped the minds therein and caused an addiction to the past, leading to the development of thoughts separate to the rest of the United States. William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily,” illustrates this romance with the past which the South has clung to as a result of its history. Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” is teeming with historical references; Emily’s own manor
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represents a bygone era, or at least an extension of Emily’s unwillingness to accept change. One could even refer it to a time capsule, itself being referred to as “once [being] white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies.” The house represents Emily’s clinging to the past and an unwillingness or even inability to change. The manor is unchanged, decaying, and isolated from the world. It is Emily’s temporal and spatial enclosure, used to avoid the change around her and the cessation of time (Skei 153). It seems clear that Emily is representing the South itself. After all, Emily is described as “a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town.” She simply belonged to a different era and adheres to her internalized thoughts because she has been given nothing in exchange for them (Skei 154). Considering the South’s history, it is only natural that its people would willingly refuse to accept the present. After the devastating defeat of the Confederate Army, the South attempted to memorialize their Civil War through monuments and the initiation of memorial observances (Daniel 1027). Due to the rising political and social changes, the South found it difficult to keep up and lost the will to change with the times. Public memorializing became a widely used method of coping in the South (Daniel 1027). Looking further into the matter, some speculate that the South looked to its past believing it was still fighting the Civil War, almost as a way to cling onto every last bit of hope. Looking back at Faulkner’s short story, we can recall that Emily’s presumed love, was found decaying in the same bed that Emily presumably slept in. This is evident as “in the second pillow was the indentation of a head.” Emily clearly has made no effort to move on in her life, even at the old age of seventy-four, much like the South.
An even more obvious parallel is when Emily’s father dies. She “told [the townspeople] that her father was not dead” and did so for “three days.” Shown here is outright denial by Emily, which is similar to the South’s own denial of changing times. Postbellum South was devastated and was left little free will, so it held onto the past (Daniel 1027). Emily, much like postbellum South was left with little free will in choosing a husband as “young men [were] driven away by her father;” so she decided to take matters into her own hands when she poisoned Homer Barron and held onto him until her death (Strandberg). The South’s deep isolation has also contributed to its unique development throughout the years following the Civil War. Southern identity has created a region with its own history, culture, and problems (Daniel 1027). “A Rose for Emily” was written during the New South period (1913-1945). During this time, political and social upheaval was at a climax; the South was transforming from a poverty ridden land into a modern, industrialized, and economically vital region. However, the overarching theme of clinging to the past has stuck. This time, it’s in the form of racial barriers. Analyzing the word choice of Faulkner’s short story, we can see how the region still clutches onto divisive terms such as “negro” or “nigger.” Racism has been the biggest cause of the South’s shame, and has led to nation-wide legislation being implemented (Daniel 1027).
As a result, the Southern states had to submit to the changes whether they were willing to or not. Knowing this, it is not surprising the South held on to the issue of race for so long. Faulkner is conscious that the South has held onto these derogatory terms and has implanted them into the speech of the story’s occupants. The mayor, Judge Stevens, even states “[the smell] is probably just a snake or a rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard.” A political figure, the mayor, has used this derogatory term, yet back then the South would have seen it as a norm. The usage of the words “negro” and “nigger” illustrates that legislation may have changed, but the mindset of the South has not. Ultimately, the heartbeat of the South lies in its past, which is evident in Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily.” Through the personification of Emily as the South and multiple historical references, Faulkner has encapsulated the South’s sentiment regarding its history. Southern Gothic literature was written during a political and social transition; as a result, the genre’s works reflect the South’s glorification and romanticization of the
past.
represents a bygone era, or at least an extension of Emily’s unwillingness to accept change. One could even refer it to a time capsule, itself being referred to as “once [being] white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies.” The house represents Emily’s clinging to the past and an unwillingness or even inability to change. The manor is unchanged, decaying, and isolated from the world. It is Emily’s temporal and spatial enclosure, used to avoid the change around her and the cessation of time (Skei 153). It seems clear that Emily is representing the South itself. After all, Emily is described as “a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town.” She simply belonged to a different era and adheres to her internalized thoughts because she has been given nothing in exchange for them (Skei 154). Considering the South’s history, it is only natural that its people would willingly refuse to accept the present. After the devastating defeat of the Confederate Army, the South attempted to memorialize their Civil War through monuments and the initiation of memorial observances (Daniel 1027). Due to the rising political and social changes, the South found it difficult to keep up and lost the will to change with the times. Public memorializing became a widely used method of coping in the South (Daniel 1027). Looking further into the matter, some speculate that the South looked to its past believing it was still fighting the Civil War, almost as a way to cling onto every last bit of hope. Looking back at Faulkner’s short story, we can recall that Emily’s presumed love, was found decaying in the same bed that Emily presumably slept in. This is evident as “in the second pillow was the indentation of a head.” Emily clearly has made no effort to move on in her life, even at the old age of seventy-four, much like the South.
An even more obvious parallel is when Emily’s father dies. She “told [the townspeople] that her father was not dead” and did so for “three days.” Shown here is outright denial by Emily, which is similar to the South’s own denial of changing times. Postbellum South was devastated and was left little free will, so it held onto the past (Daniel 1027). Emily, much like postbellum South was left with little free will in choosing a husband as “young men [were] driven away by her father;” so she decided to take matters into her own hands when she poisoned Homer Barron and held onto him until her death (Strandberg). The South’s deep isolation has also contributed to its unique development throughout the years following the Civil War. Southern identity has created a region with its own history, culture, and problems (Daniel 1027). “A Rose for Emily” was written during the New South period (1913-1945). During this time, political and social upheaval was at a climax; the South was transforming from a poverty ridden land into a modern, industrialized, and economically vital region. However, the overarching theme of clinging to the past has stuck. This time, it’s in the form of racial barriers. Analyzing the word choice of Faulkner’s short story, we can see how the region still clutches onto divisive terms such as “negro” or “nigger.” Racism has been the biggest cause of the South’s shame, and has led to nation-wide legislation being implemented (Daniel 1027).
As a result, the Southern states had to submit to the changes whether they were willing to or not. Knowing this, it is not surprising the South held on to the issue of race for so long. Faulkner is conscious that the South has held onto these derogatory terms and has implanted them into the speech of the story’s occupants. The mayor, Judge Stevens, even states “[the smell] is probably just a snake or a rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard.” A political figure, the mayor, has used this derogatory term, yet back then the South would have seen it as a norm. The usage of the words “negro” and “nigger” illustrates that legislation may have changed, but the mindset of the South has not. Ultimately, the heartbeat of the South lies in its past, which is evident in Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily.” Through the personification of Emily as the South and multiple historical references, Faulkner has encapsulated the South’s sentiment regarding its history. Southern Gothic literature was written during a political and social transition; as a result, the genre’s works reflect the South’s glorification and romanticization of the
past.