A Rose for Emily vs Killings
English 2010
March 20, 2013
“A Rose for Emily” vs “Killings” The story “A Rose for Emily” was written by William Faulkner. The other story I am using to compare and contrast with is “Killings” written by Andre Dubus. These stories are similar in plot and theme. Both of these stories deal with murder, love and revenge. Though, love and murder are presented in different ways in the two stories. The main character in both these stories are of the opposite sex and they are both the protagonist. “A Rose for Emily” is about a women named Emily Grierson and her mysterious life as a southern belle. While “Killings” is based on a man named Matt Fowler who commits a bad crime. Faulkner and Dubus start both short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “Killings” with a funeral opening. “A Rose for Emily” opens with “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men though a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant – a combined gardener and cook – had seen in at least ten years” (Meyer 84). This starts with Emily’s death then goes backwards to tell about her life story. Dubus begins his story with “On the August morning when Matt Fowler Buried his youngest son, Frank, who had lived for twenty-one years, eight months, an four days, Matt’s older son, Steve, turned to him as the family left the grave and walked between their friends, and said: “I should kill him.” (Meyer 97). The story starts with Frank’s funeral then goes backwards to explain his death. Both of these stories are told out of chorological order. The first lines of both of these stories talk about theme death. Since the authors being with a funeral moment at the beginning of the story, this is an anticipation of the rest of the story to follow the tone. The setting of both these stories take place in a small town. They are different in the way one is in the south and the
March 20, 2013
“A Rose for Emily” vs “Killings” The story “A Rose for Emily” was written by William Faulkner. The other story I am using to compare and contrast with is “Killings” written by Andre Dubus. These stories are similar in plot and theme. Both of these stories deal with murder, love and revenge. Though, love and murder are presented in different ways in the two stories. The main character in both these stories are of the opposite sex and they are both the protagonist. “A Rose for Emily” is about a women named Emily Grierson and her mysterious life as a southern belle. While “Killings” is based on a man named Matt Fowler who commits a bad crime. Faulkner and Dubus start both short stories “A Rose for Emily” and “Killings” with a funeral opening. “A Rose for Emily” opens with “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men though a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant – a combined gardener and cook – had seen in at least ten years” (Meyer 84). This starts with Emily’s death then goes backwards to tell about her life story. Dubus begins his story with “On the August morning when Matt Fowler Buried his youngest son, Frank, who had lived for twenty-one years, eight months, an four days, Matt’s older son, Steve, turned to him as the family left the grave and walked between their friends, and said: “I should kill him.” (Meyer 97). The story starts with Frank’s funeral then goes backwards to explain his death. Both of these stories are told out of chorological order. The first lines of both of these stories talk about theme death. Since the authors being with a funeral moment at the beginning of the story, this is an anticipation of the rest of the story to follow the tone. The setting of both these stories take place in a small town. They are different in the way one is in the south and the
Cited: Meyer, Michael. "A Rose for Emily." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ninth ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2012. 84-90. Print. Meyer, Michael. "Killings." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Ninth ed. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2012. 96-108. Print.