A Rose For Emily By William Faulkner: A Resistance To Change

A Resistance to Change “A Rose for Emily” written by the late William Faulkner is a Southern Gothic short story. Faulkner (1897-1962) being a Southerner himself from Mississippi, uses the social, economic and cultural standing of the city post-Civil-War about all his literary works. The context of which the story was written is in medias res; the midst of action. This gives readers a form of the story’s background information prior to reading. Specifically, however, the story entails on the struggle between a normal every day tradition and change. Faulkner uses signs and symbols as an indication for a resistance that the main character, Emily Grierson tries to induce throughout the story. The themes, motifs and symbols help conceptualize a deeper understanding of the story, making the work intriguing. In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the main character Emily Grierson is …show more content…
Early in the story, the local authorities go to Emily's house to talk to her about paying property taxes, and Emily refuses to pay, insisting that the mayor has relieved her from ever paying taxes again. She is unaware that the mayor died ten years ago. Similarly, when Homer Barron decides that he no longer wants to be in a relationship with her, she arguably kills him to make sure that he "stays" with her. She cannot handle being abandoned by him and does not want this aspect of her life to change. The resistance to change in the story is symbolized by the state of the Grierson house which stands unkempt among a neighborhood that has forged on into the