A Rose for Emily
In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, the story is about a woman living in a fictional town of Mississippi. This story begins with the narrator discussing a woman who died in her old age, and how her life impacted a community. Emily Grierson has a hard time acknowledging and adjusting to the changes in her life. For example, “Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead.”(Faulkner, page. 81) This quote clearly shows how Emily tried to defy death by holding on to her father’s corpse and treating it as if he was still living and how afraid she was of change. This was the main cause in motivating Emily’s lifestyle. She did not know how to respond when her father passed away. There was nobody there for her in the need of comfort. This is evident in Emily’s personality, symbolism expressed, and the language that is used.
In addition, Emily’s personality enhanced the story because she lived a life of rejection and loneliness. When her father died, she denied that it happened for three days, as stated in the text, “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days…” (Faulkner, page. 81). Emily was in denial about her father’s death. She refused to neither accept the loss of her family member nor handle the changes. All she was left with was her father’s house. Her father denied her of marrying a man. After he died, there was no one around to protect her. So she simply did not leave her house and lived a life of isolation from that day on. Her inner struggle shaped the personality she displayed for the community.
To emphasize Emily’s lifestyle, Faulkner used symbolism in his writing. Her house symbolized solitude, mental illness, and death. For example,
In addition, Emily’s personality enhanced the story because she lived a life of rejection and loneliness. When her father died, she denied that it happened for three days, as stated in the text, “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her face. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days…” (Faulkner, page. 81). Emily was in denial about her father’s death. She refused to neither accept the loss of her family member nor handle the changes. All she was left with was her father’s house. Her father denied her of marrying a man. After he died, there was no one around to protect her. So she simply did not leave her house and lived a life of isolation from that day on. Her inner struggle shaped the personality she displayed for the community.
To emphasize Emily’s lifestyle, Faulkner used symbolism in his writing. Her house symbolized solitude, mental illness, and death. For example,