Symbols Used In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

In this essay we’ll be exploring the different symbols found in William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily”. The “rose” in the title, Emily’s house, the hair found on the bed, Emily's watch, the lime to cover up the smell, and the arsenic used to kill homer are all pieces that have a deeper/symbolic meaning to them. When the town's Aldermen came to Emily's house on the matter of collecting taxes, Faulkner specifically made the reader direct their attention to the the ticking pocket watch that is hidden within Emily’s clothes symbolizing the overall theme of the passage, time. Time is progressing ,everyone is aware of the changes going on around them and susceptible to theses changes except Emily. The alderman take notice to the loud ticking of the watch while Emily unconsciously ignores it. The chain attached to the pocket watch also symbolically shows the control/hold Emily tries to place over time which is also evident in her attempt to preserve he father's body after his death. The …show more content…
After multiple complaints from people in Emily’s neighborhood of the putrid smell coming from her house the mayor gave consent to the aldermen to sprinkle lime in the cellar and in the outer builds of her house not knowing they were covering up the smell of Homer's(Emily’s fiance) decaying body.
The rose, in the title of the short story is a piece of gratification and pity Faulkner feels for Emily. After a funeral roses are given to the deceased family, or after a graduation one is given roses as a gift for their achievement. The rose can be seen as both a pity gift and a achievement gift. Emily has endured many disappointments in her life from losing her father to dying alone despite her efforts to control/keep the men around her. In this instance it is seen as pitiful, Faulkner pities her for her lost and gives her a rose (metaphorically) for everything she has had to