Rose For Emily By Faulkner Essays - A Rose For Emily, Emily Grierson

Rose For Emily By Faulkner In the story, "A Rose for Emily," by William Faulkner, Miss Emily Grierson's struggle with her family, her town, and herself makes her do things that are out of the "norm." Her struggle makes her act inhuman and deranged. Emily is a living a very sheltered life. Miss Emily struggles, in this story, with herself and the society around her. Emily Grierson became very heartless in the eyes of the reader and even a little demented all because of her sheltered lifestyle, closed environment and, conflict with the townspeople. She knew that the people of her town were talking about her. However, she ultimately let their gossip influence her life. Some think that Emily's actions were based on the townspeople's attitudes toward her. Others may say that her father shaped her actions. However, Emily's father, the townspeople, and even Emily herself shaped her motives. They were the driving forces behind Emily's action. This struggle between "an individual and the society that attempts to restrict her" (Brooks & Warren 158) would be unbearable for Miss Emily. This is what ultimately leads to her downfall. Through imagery and conflict, the reader can witness how all of this is true. As Faulkner begins this story, the reader quickly learns that this piece is going to be about death and dying. Not so much as physical death, although physical death is also apparent, but spiritual, mental, and social decay. The physical death is opened to the reader in the first line of this short story. The storyteller informs the reader by saying, "when Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral..." Just by this line the reader wonders if the town was sad to see Miss Emily past away, or were they glad. Later in the story, the reader finds out that the townspeople were glad. However, not for the reason that one might imply. Because the first line of the book deals with death and dying, does it make "A Rose for Emily" a story of horror? Brooke and Warren writes, "we have a decaying mansion in which the protagonist, shut out from the world, grows into something monstrous, and becomes as divorced from the human as some fungus growing in the dark on a damp wall." (Brooks & Warren 158) This is what makes this piece a horror story. Webster New World says that horror means, "the strong feeling caused by something frightful or shocking." At the end of "A Rose for Emily," the reader finds out that Miss Emily is performing a very deviant action. The reader and the townspeople are very much shocked by this act. This piece is truly "a story of horror." (Brook & Warren 158). What made Emily killed Homer? To answer this, the reader must first expose Emily's character to view. Emily's grew up around her father. Her life was hard. Emily's father was a very strict man. If compared to today's strict father, he would be the type of father that would show off his gun collection to a guy before taking his daughter out. However, in the case of Miss Emily's father, he did not let anyone see her. The narrator in the story says Emily's father "ran off all the men that came for Emily." The reader sees how Emily's father is detrimental to Miss Emily's well being. Because her father blocked her from the outside world, Emily became dependent. Emily became addicted to her father. If her father told her to jump, Emily probably would respond by saying how high. Emily's father was like a depressant drug. This drug made Emily feel safe at all times. The reader also witnesses Emily's father characteristics in a work of art. The portrait hung "by the back-flung front door." The narrator of the story describes Miss Emily in the picture as "a slender figure in white in the background." It continues to say her father was "a spraddle silhouette in the foreground." The reader can see how Faulkner uses the portrait to symbolize how Emily's father shielded her. The narrator goes on to say that, " [her father's] back to her and clutching a horse whip." The picture depicts how Emily's father is in command. It shows how he ruled her. Her father was the dictator in their relationship. Emily's white garment represents how pure and innocent she was. Emily was like a child that is in the first stages on its life. The reader can not help but wonder what happened to Emily's mother.