A Rose For Emily Denial Essay

The sorrowful and unpredictable realization of denial and loss can slowly tear down even the strongest willed individuals. In the twisting tales of “A Rose for Emily” and “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” the recurring theme of denial continuously reminds readers that life is precious and to never take anything for granted. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” focuses on the life and death of Emily Grierson. Although the story begins with her death, the details of her life are revealed through several elements. She is ultimately “jilted” by the man she falls in love with Homer Barron and poisons him to ensure a lifelong commitment. A similar theme appears within Katherine Ann Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.” Ellen Weatherall, …show more content…
It gives readers the chance to see the slow tragic demise of Miss Emily and the real consequences of denial. Within the story readers learn about Homer Barron, the not so popular northerner who captivates Miss Emily in a way no one has ever done before. In the story it says, “When she opened the package at home there was written on the box, under the skull and bones: "For rats.”’(CITATION), by describing the bottle as having a skull and bones on it the author is foreshadowing that Miss Emily is gonna kill Homer. Ultimately, Emily cannot face the reality of Homer wanting to leave so she murders him. The thought of another person leaving her was just too much for her to handle so she poisoned him to ensure life long partnership. Years pass and after Miss Emily passes away the townspeople are wondering though her house they find Homer Barron's corpse laying in the bed with a “profound and fleshless grin”(CITATION). The townspeople, “then noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head … we saw a long strand of grey hair” (CITATION). This means that years after Homer's death Miss Emily was still lying next to him in denial that he was actually gone. His death was her way of keeping him forever. The theme of abandonment is evident in this story because of the tremendous amount of loss that Miss Emily experiences throughout her lifetime. She would rather kill then him leave her, displaying …show more content…
At the time of the story Granny Weatherall is suffering from a serious unknown illness and is about to pass. However, throughout the story Granny is denying the fact that death is upon her. She recounts her younger life and the loves she's had in the past. The theme of denial is heavy within this story because of the continuous thoughts of denial that she is actually about to die. The narrator says, “While Granny was rummaging around she found death in her mind and it felt clammy and unfamiliar”’ (CITATION). This illustrates how even though Grannys apparent old age she doesn't really think about death and it seems unfamiliar to her. She is constantly denying that her life is slowly about to end and when the time finally comes she is confused and doesn't seem ready. Later, Granny discusses how “my children have come to see me die but I can’t it is not time. Oh i've always hated surprises.”(CITATION). This is a great representation of the theme through the significant details that Granny is taking her death by surprise and that she wasn't aware it was upon her. Also, Granny then says “ I ment to finish the altar cloth and send six bottles of wine to Sister Borgia”(CITATION). These two quotes really sum up just how unprepared and in denial Granny was for when death came. This is a really hard