How Does Faulkner Use Symbols In A Rose For Emily

Instances of symbolism abound in William Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily. I have selected the ones that I believe to be the most insightful into the twisted mind of Miss Emily. Specifically, Miss Emily's father's corpse, her home and Homer Barron's horse drawn buggy allow us to probe more deeply into the interior world of our detached Miss Emily. In my opinion, these things symbolize her reluctance to adapt to a new society and a quickly “modernising” south, one that is radically different from the environment of her childhood. After her father's death, Miss Emily refuses to allow the townspeople to take his body for a proper burial. Even though they try to persuade her to relinquish the body numerous times, Miss Emily keeps the cadaver in her home for three days. Furthermore, she does not allow anyone to retrieve the body until she is threatened with the forceful entry of the town authorities. Apparently, the citizens of the town believed her to be so grief-stricken that she was unable to think rationally after her father's death, and thus refused to let the body be removed from the premises. However, while Miss Emily could have been in some form of shock, we know that she and her father did not have a positive relationship with each other. Her “shock” is less likely to be from grief and more …show more content…
Faulkner presents her family's home as a symbol of the changing social structure by describing it as slowly but surely withering away, and in like fashion the days and past glory of the antebellum south are withering away. Eventually, her family members begin to die off,and soon the estate is only inhabited by Miss Emily and her manservant, Toby. Subsequently, the house declines into apparent ruin,thus being described as the “eyesore of eyesores”. However, though old, dusty and dilapidated, Miss Emily still takes great pride in her family