The Man In The Black Suit Analysis

The past, the present, and the future. All are intervals of time that everyone has caused, has, and has eventually. Both the stories “A Rose For Emily” and “The Man in the Black Suit” show how the past influences the present. The past in both these stories contributes to the dark aspects in each story. In “A Rose For Emily”, Emily lives in the constant mindset of past events which leads her down a path of solitude astray from the rest of her progressive town. This path of solitude leads Emily to insanity and the tragic end of a man. In “The Man in the Black Suit”, Gary had a brother who tragically died from a bee string prior to the actual story timeline, but the bee comes back in the story along with the character described in the title of the story. The past is important as shown in these two stories, for past events shape the course of life and the present should uphold past. In “A Rose For Emily”, it is evident that Emily lives in the past. Throughout the story Emily is seen not paying her taxes, not recognizing her father’s death, and not opening up to the modernizing world. “Colonel Sartoris invented an involved tax to the effect that Miss Emily’s father had loaned money to the town, which the town, as a matter of business, preferred …show more content…
In “A Rose for Emily”, Emily lives in the mindset of the past and completely neglects the present time, so her present is swimming in past events. In “The Man in the Black Suit”, Gary fears past events, but also feels protected by his ever-present religion. Comparing both stories, I believe Gary was able to effectively uphold the past in the present which is the duty of the present. Gary feared that he was going to suffer the same fate as his brother, but instead Gary had to face the man in the black suit where he still upheld his faith to escape the