Just as Emily denied her father’s death, she clung to Homer Barron. Her relationship comes as a surprise to the people in Jefferson. They are divided in their opinions; some are thrilled that Emily has someone, but others who attribute her choice of a Northern laborer to grief over her father’s death. “There were still others, older people, who said that even grief could not cause a real lady to forget noblesse oblige- without calling it noblesse oblige” (Faulkner, 11). This claim that she is being kind to the less fortunate out of aristocratic duty reveals that to the older generation, her aristocratic superiority is still intact. Being of this generation, Emily is happy to keep this illusion going. The only life she knows is one in which
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In their essay, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels examine the history of the classes regarding how one exploits the other. Applying this idea to “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner reveals how this theory is present not just in industrial settings, but in towns and communities. Emily Grierson’s social standing causes her to view herself in a different light than the rest of her community views her. From refusing to pay her taxes, to becoming a recluse in her home, it is evident that Emily’s refusal to adapt to the fast-changing traditions and beliefs represents her fall from nobility. The aristocracy has fallen and it no longer has a place in the modern age. She once received special treatment simply for being of a certain lineage, but the new generation does not see her family background important; she must pay her taxes like everyone else. This sudden change in values is jarring for Emily, who proves that she cannot deal with change. As a result, she becomes reclusive. Marx’s theory, when applied to Faulkner’s short story, focuses on how economic and social rank has developed as sociological study has advanced, creating an entirely new entity as the twentieth century continues. Ultimately, Emily Grierson becomes a testament to forgotten ideals that lie outside the modern
In their essay, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels examine the history of the classes regarding how one exploits the other. Applying this idea to “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner reveals how this theory is present not just in industrial settings, but in towns and communities. Emily Grierson’s social standing causes her to view herself in a different light than the rest of her community views her. From refusing to pay her taxes, to becoming a recluse in her home, it is evident that Emily’s refusal to adapt to the fast-changing traditions and beliefs represents her fall from nobility. The aristocracy has fallen and it no longer has a place in the modern age. She once received special treatment simply for being of a certain lineage, but the new generation does not see her family background important; she must pay her taxes like everyone else. This sudden change in values is jarring for Emily, who proves that she cannot deal with change. As a result, she becomes reclusive. Marx’s theory, when applied to Faulkner’s short story, focuses on how economic and social rank has developed as sociological study has advanced, creating an entirely new entity as the twentieth century continues. Ultimately, Emily Grierson becomes a testament to forgotten ideals that lie outside the modern