Analysis of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
The Short story, ‘A Rose for Emily' falls under the genre of Southern Gothic. The literature focuses on the importance of family, control, time management, place, the past as well as a sense of community. It is macabre and horrifying, and the atmosphere is foreboding and moody (Dwankowski, 2012). There is a smell of decay after the death of Emily's father. The story centers on violence and social issues. It features outdated ideas, sexism, and servitude. The act of parents determining who to marry is a traditional perspective. According to Faulkner (1958), Emily’s father had chased away potential young men who could have married her, an aspect that connotes to the theme of control, which results to an isolated life for Emily. Also, the plot of the story is quite twisted. For instance, it is ironic that Emily died single at the age of seventy-four. At the moment, the society embraced the role of a woman as a mother with the responsibility of raising a family (Perry, 1989). Lastly, the act of wearing Confederate uniforms to a funeral is a trait of the southern. …show more content…
The house symbolizes wealth and social status. It indicates that Emily was from a well-off family. The condition of the house after sometime represents towns view on Emily. As she grows older, the narrator describes the house as "eyesore among eyesores" and uglier than the nearby gasoline pumps (Faulkner, 1958). The description suggests that Emily loses her beauty and potential happiness as she grows older. The taxes can be interpreted to symbolize death. The remission of Emily's taxes symbolizes financial decline and the death of her father. Finally, the pocket watch, Emily's hair color, and the stationary signify the importance of
The Short story, ‘A Rose for Emily' falls under the genre of Southern Gothic. The literature focuses on the importance of family, control, time management, place, the past as well as a sense of community. It is macabre and horrifying, and the atmosphere is foreboding and moody (Dwankowski, 2012). There is a smell of decay after the death of Emily's father. The story centers on violence and social issues. It features outdated ideas, sexism, and servitude. The act of parents determining who to marry is a traditional perspective. According to Faulkner (1958), Emily’s father had chased away potential young men who could have married her, an aspect that connotes to the theme of control, which results to an isolated life for Emily. Also, the plot of the story is quite twisted. For instance, it is ironic that Emily died single at the age of seventy-four. At the moment, the society embraced the role of a woman as a mother with the responsibility of raising a family (Perry, 1989). Lastly, the act of wearing Confederate uniforms to a funeral is a trait of the southern. …show more content…
The house symbolizes wealth and social status. It indicates that Emily was from a well-off family. The condition of the house after sometime represents towns view on Emily. As she grows older, the narrator describes the house as "eyesore among eyesores" and uglier than the nearby gasoline pumps (Faulkner, 1958). The description suggests that Emily loses her beauty and potential happiness as she grows older. The taxes can be interpreted to symbolize death. The remission of Emily's taxes symbolizes financial decline and the death of her father. Finally, the pocket watch, Emily's hair color, and the stationary signify the importance of