A Rose For Emily

Analysis of A Rose for Emily A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner tells the story of a stubborn, elderly woman who everyone suspects murdered Homer Barron. Miss Emily Grierson, stuck in the ways of the old South, refused to confirm to the new generation’s laws. The author keeps the audience engaged with foreshadowing and symbolism. Faulkner begins the story with his clever use of foreshadowing. At the beginning of the story he states, “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral:…(Faulkner 33)” and later the narrator gives the events of her death. On page forty of Backpack Literature says, “And so she died. Fell ill in the house filled with dust and shadows, with only a doddering Negro man to wait on her (Faulkner 40). His use of foreshadowing help to better understand the story. Subjects of symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” forced the reader to think deeper into the story. One object of symbolism is Miss Emily. Miss Emily symbolizes the old south; she still used calligraphy to write letters, she kept the same old furniture, and she refused to pay the new generation’s taxes. Miss Emily even refused to let the town put metal numbers and a mailbox. She was just simply stuck in the old south. As well as his use of foreshadowing and symbolism, William Faulkner shows off his writing skills by using simply sentences and details to define the plot. There are several paragraphs that move the plot along. Paragraph fifteen, “So she vanquished them horse and foot…” moves the plot from the exposition to the rising action. This is because this is when one of Miss Emily’s conflicts arose. Paragraph twenty-four, “After a week or two the smell went away…” moves the plot from the rising action to the complication. Because of them putting lime in the cellar caused more resentment from Miss Emily. Paragraph forty-seven, “And that was the last we saw of Homer Barron…” moves the plot from the complication to the falling action because Homer’s disappearance