A Rose For Emily Change Analysis

Who Really Changed in “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner, a male American author, is best known for his novels that were set in the American South. Faulkner’s writing style gives his readers a better understanding of life in the 1900’s by incorporating literary technique throughout his writing, serving to illustrate the atmosphere of that time- sometimes a suspenseful one. An analysis of William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” uses several literary techniques, such as utilizing the home of Miss Emily Grierson, Emily’s hair, corpses, and many other components of the story as symbols. Symbolism stands as one of the many elements Faulkner blends into this story to help illustrate the change and decay that build an overall dark and sinister theme. The Grierson family home serves as one of the many symbols in this story that Faulkner uses to stress the passage of time in the story. Through writing about this home to such great detail, Faulkner is better able to achieve a southern gothic style for the story. Faulkner writes, “miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay….an eyesore among eyesores.” Here, the house becomes a more symbolically complex, with change and decay revealing just more than the time that has passed. We are now aware that the new south, one suffering the aftermath of the …show more content…
William Faulkner explored the use of symbolism in the handling of symbolic technique throughout “A Rose for Emily,” such as the home, Emily herself and her hair, and corpses- even their smells. The element of symbolism not only helps demonstrate the concept of change and decay, but the many other emotions that accompany it. Whether it’s the rank odor of a dead body decaying, or the locks of hair suffering from old age, Faulkner’s symbols achieve physical change, decay, and the emotional change and decay of one’s