Miss Emily Grierson In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

Improved Essays
In his short story “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner weaves a southern gothic tale centered on his protagonist Miss Emily Grierson. The protagonist, Miss Emily, exemplifies an old southern belle in her evolving community. She is a stagnant figure, unchanging in her ways, as her community and its members progresses forward without her. Faulkner’s grim tale follows an unconventional timeline, reflecting how past events shape and mold the present. His unusual timeline also defines Emily Grierson, his protagonist. Miss Emily Grierson is portrayed as eccentric, stubborn, and

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily embodies a variety of significant themes. Among these are such concepts as isolation, loss, and the conflict between tradition and modernity. The theme this analysis will discuss revolves around the "displaced" individuals of a former era ("tradition") who often become isolated and alienated due to a changing world around them in which they cannot or will not engage. Miss Emily Grierson represents such a displaced…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Do you have what it takes to kill the man you once loved? In the story “A Rose for Emily” written by William Faulkner, Miss Emily shows signs of having a mental illness. Emily withdraws herself from society and becomes trapped in a world of delusions. By examining Miss Emily’s behavior and her social relationships, she can easily be diagnosed with being a sociopath.…

    • 235 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Readers may ask themselves, why does Faulkner refer to this woman as ‘a fallen monument’ or why are the women of the town curious to know what is inside Mrs. Emily’s house? Mrs. Emily Grierson may be thought of as both a physically and emotionally isolated person from the events happening outside of her home. Emily Grierson may have been considered an…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The sporadic storytelling creates an eerie mood in which the reader knows very little, but very much at the same time. The unknowingness shows the disconnect of humanity. Miss Emily is not cared about but for the use of conversation. At first, she is cared for by the Jefferson government and they do not make her pay taxes. As time progresses and the government officials are replaced Miss Emily has several tax collectors come to her home.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This essay will look primarily at William Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily’ and through that, argue how the atmosphere of the environment Faulkner was raised in, has directly influenced his work, not only through its central plot themes of death and decay but also through the setting and environment of the story. The environment he was raised in, glorified the past and alienated people from the present. Faulkner however rejected those views and through his short story “A Rose for Emily” attacked this glooming mindset. Despite Faulkner’s claims that “his books and he were different, even at odds” (1982:1), a close reading of ‘A Rose for Emily’ combined with an understanding of the author’s early life in the South of the United States, can reveal how much of him can be seen in his work. Faulkner suggested several times a sort of dualism in his mind between the “William Faulkner of Oxford” (1982:609) referring to the author’s limited public profile and “the "secret" Faulkner” (1982:608)…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Faulkner utilizes many elements of short fiction in his use of flashbacks, metaphors, setting, and characterization, while under the gothic genre of literature. There is much depth to this narration even at face value. The use of flashback requires a reader to pay close attention to minute details, mood, and setting to completely understand the plot progression. While reading one must also take into consideration the historical context of the Post-Civil War South and how the decline of the southern aristocracy led to Emily’s decay. This physical and mental deterioration of the southern aristocracy metaphorized through Emily is put up against the modernizing world demonstrating great contrast.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In this story we see her almost as a monument or a tradition, but at the same time she is empathized and consoled. The actuality that can be seen as someone reading the story from the outside, shows that she is often looked at as irritating in the ways that she demands to live her life on her own terms. Emily is the classic outcast, supervising and regulating the town’s access to her true identity by remaining hidden, which in the end is the reason she died alone and…

    • 1285 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Well-known American author, William Faulkner, in his short story, A Rose For Emily, describes a dark and somber mood altering the effects of the reader’s perspective of the plot. Through the use of a cryptic figure, Miss. Emily, the author suggests to the readers the concept that a person’s inability to accept changing conditions, will be different based upon the conditions of their upbringing. He adopts a mysterious and suspenseful tone in order to convey to his readers that Emily is deceiving to the eye and many are unaware of her true potential and resistance. Her past continues to consume her as she simply refuses to adapt to modern society, as the past is ever-present.…

    • 1542 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The film does not convey important details that were provided in the story, therefore making the story’s introduction stronger than the films. Though Miss Emily’s father was not mentioned until his death in Faulkner’s story, Mr. Grierson makes an appearance in the film. The viewer is given an understanding of his possessive and superior personality whereas in the story, nothing is made clear. The importance of this is huge as it later contributes to an understanding of the attitudes and accusations made of the Grierson’s ego. Another scene that was lacking in description in the novel was the reactions of the relatives of Emily when they find the dead body that had been locked away.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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.…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the 19th century, when the civil war has just ended. The abolishment of slavery after the civil war affected southerners crucially and was hard for them to accept. This is symbolized in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” through Emily being unable to cope with death and modernization. Emily’s refusal to accept change invites us to contemplate that many post war Southerners had a hard time adapting to a new way of living after the civil war and people in general also cling to things that we are familiar with.…

    • 831 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Looking first at psychological criticism, Freud’s idea of the unconscious mind can be applied to better understand Emily’s character. Freud states that the conscious mind is not always aware of the unconscious mind; therefore, many times a person will have difficulties disguising between reality and what they think reality is at that moment. Readers see this clearly modeled with Emily Grierson. After the passing of…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" is a story that addresses the symbolic changes in the South after the civil war. Miss Emily's house symbolizes neglect and poverty of the new times in the town of Jefferson. The rampant symbolism and Faulkner's descriptions of the decaying house, coincide with Miss Emily's physical and emotional decay, and also emphasize her mental degeneration, and further illustrate the outcome of Faulkner's story. Miss Emily's decaying house, not only lacks genuine love and care, but so does she in her adult life, but more so during her childhood. The pertinence of Miss Emily's house in relation to her physical appearance is brought on by constant neglect and under-appreciation.…

    • 930 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The portrayal of the female characters in William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” depicts women in a subordinate light. The title of the story itself suggests a relative connection between a female and the traditional act of giving a rose as a statement of respect or courtship. Indeed, the story revolves around Emily Grierson who appears to have aged badly over the course of her disappointing life. Right from the beginning of the story, Faulkner establishes an assertion of women in the way he describes Miss Emily. Through a feminist literary approach, it is evident that Faulkner intended his piece to illustrate and embody ideals from the older generations when women were inferior to men.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays