“a Rose for Emily”
“A Rose for Emily”
Character Analysis of Miss Emily Grierson
“A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, is a story of Miss Emily Grierson, a woman who was born into a wealthy family in the town of Jefferson. She grew up and lived in a huge Victorian home with servants. After the Civil War, it seems that her family’s wealth started to diminish but the Grierson’s were still trapped in the past of their family’s wealth. Emily Grierson’s past and present life is being recalled by a narrator who expresses the attitudes and ideas of the community. The narrator uses phrases like “We knew”, “We said”, and “We believed” to show the towns involvement. The townspeople pity Miss Emily and look at her as “fallen monument.
Miss Emily is from a classic wealthy southern family, whose name was well respected in the town of Jefferson. Miss Emily had been placed on a pedestal all her life. Because her family held itself higher than what they really were, Emily’s father thought no man was good enough for her and drove all the male suitors who came to court her away. When Miss Emily’s father died, she kept the body in the house for three days not allowing anyone to come and remove him. Faulkner gives us a peek into the depth of the relationship that Miss Emily had with her father and it was more than just the normal father- daughter relationship. She was so attached to her father that she could not accept the fact that he was actually dead. The townspeople came to offer condolences and aid; 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 791). When they were about to resort to the law and force her to remove the body, Miss Emily finally broke down and let them remove and bury her father. This seems to be the beginning signs of her insanity? Did the shocked of losing the only person she had a relationship with drive her off the deep end?
Miss Emily was now alone,
Character Analysis of Miss Emily Grierson
“A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, is a story of Miss Emily Grierson, a woman who was born into a wealthy family in the town of Jefferson. She grew up and lived in a huge Victorian home with servants. After the Civil War, it seems that her family’s wealth started to diminish but the Grierson’s were still trapped in the past of their family’s wealth. Emily Grierson’s past and present life is being recalled by a narrator who expresses the attitudes and ideas of the community. The narrator uses phrases like “We knew”, “We said”, and “We believed” to show the towns involvement. The townspeople pity Miss Emily and look at her as “fallen monument.
Miss Emily is from a classic wealthy southern family, whose name was well respected in the town of Jefferson. Miss Emily had been placed on a pedestal all her life. Because her family held itself higher than what they really were, Emily’s father thought no man was good enough for her and drove all the male suitors who came to court her away. When Miss Emily’s father died, she kept the body in the house for three days not allowing anyone to come and remove him. Faulkner gives us a peek into the depth of the relationship that Miss Emily had with her father and it was more than just the normal father- daughter relationship. She was so attached to her father that she could not accept the fact that he was actually dead. The townspeople came to offer condolences and aid; 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 791). When they were about to resort to the law and force her to remove the body, Miss Emily finally broke down and let them remove and bury her father. This seems to be the beginning signs of her insanity? Did the shocked of losing the only person she had a relationship with drive her off the deep end?
Miss Emily was now alone,
Cited: Brooks, Cleanth Short Stories from William Faulkner First Encounters. New Haven: Yale University, 1983, pp 16 & 19 Fang, Du Who makes a Devil out of a Fair Lady? An Analysis of the Social Causes of Emily’s Tragedy in A Rose for Emily. Canadian Social Science 2007, Vol. 3 Issue 4 p23. Web. Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” The Norton Field Guideto Writing, with Readings. 2nd ed. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. New York: Norton, 2010 Hong-mei, Yang Use of literary elements in characterization and theme presentation: Comparison and contrast of John Steinbeck’s The chrysanthemums with William Faulkner’s A rose for Emily US-China Foreign Language, May2008, Vol. 6 Issue 5, p72. Web.