William Faulkner is considered to be one of the greatest American authors in twentieth century. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is one of his best witting. The story is placed in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi in 1930 (Akers, 2002). William Faulkner 's central theme of the story is to let go of the past. The main character of the story “A Rose for Emily” is Emily Grierson, who has a tendency to cling to the past. Faulkner uses symbols throughout the story to show the stubbornness of Miss Emily Clinging to past, no matter what progress or change occurs. In this story, Faulkner talks about Emily’s opposing of change. He states this because Emily refuses to let go the past and keep her isolated from social standing. There are few
…show more content…
As a human beings, everybody have to change according to the times, otherwise their lives will be dull and valueless. In the whole story, Emily stayed with past and ignored the present. Mosby says “Change is Miss Emily’s enemy, so she refuses to acknowledge it, whether that change is the death of her father, the arrival of tax bills, the decay of her house, or even the beginning of residential mail delivery”(Mosby, 2), she was totally unawared about changing. Faulkner uses few symbols to demonstrate Miss Emily’s resistance of change. He symbolizes the home she lived in, haircut, taxes, archaic paper and long grey …show more content…
Archaic paper is old fashioned paper which is used forty to fifty years ago and now it is no longer useable. When Mayors and aldermen sent her a letter to Miss Emily for taxes, Miss Emily replied the letter “in a reply note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink (Faulkner, page#391)”. It shows Miss Emily still living in the past. She doesn’t know archaic paper has no value in modern age. Another example of Emily lives in the past is refusing taxes. During that time, every house owner have to pay taxes, but when Sheriff came to her house to talk about taxes, she said “See colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson (392)”. It shows how much she has been sink into past because Colonel Sartoris died ten years ago. When sheriff replied her Colonel Sartoris is dead, she refuge to acknowledge
As a human beings, everybody have to change according to the times, otherwise their lives will be dull and valueless. In the whole story, Emily stayed with past and ignored the present. Mosby says “Change is Miss Emily’s enemy, so she refuses to acknowledge it, whether that change is the death of her father, the arrival of tax bills, the decay of her house, or even the beginning of residential mail delivery”(Mosby, 2), she was totally unawared about changing. Faulkner uses few symbols to demonstrate Miss Emily’s resistance of change. He symbolizes the home she lived in, haircut, taxes, archaic paper and long grey …show more content…
Archaic paper is old fashioned paper which is used forty to fifty years ago and now it is no longer useable. When Mayors and aldermen sent her a letter to Miss Emily for taxes, Miss Emily replied the letter “in a reply note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink (Faulkner, page#391)”. It shows Miss Emily still living in the past. She doesn’t know archaic paper has no value in modern age. Another example of Emily lives in the past is refusing taxes. During that time, every house owner have to pay taxes, but when Sheriff came to her house to talk about taxes, she said “See colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson (392)”. It shows how much she has been sink into past because Colonel Sartoris died ten years ago. When sheriff replied her Colonel Sartoris is dead, she refuge to acknowledge