Reality vs. Perception
William Faulkner was born in 1897 (Short 248). He had originally hoped to be a poet but realized that fiction was more his style (Short 248). He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 (Short 248). He published close to twenty novels one of which being Flags in the Dust (Short 248). In William Faulkner 's short story "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner uses theme, symbolism, characters, and foreshadowing to explore the differences between reality and perception in order to prompt the reader to question perceived realities.
There are many themes that can be found in Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” such as death and social class. The theme death is shown in many different ways in Faulkner’s story. The theme death could be used to cause the reader to question their perception. Faulkner shows that Emily’s death actually makes the townspeople more curious about the things that happened in her life (Death). When Emily’s father dies, she denies his death and keeps his corpse for a few days before actually burying him (Short 254). This event foreshadows what occurs at the end of the story. When it is discovered that she had been sleeping with the corpse of Homer, it could mean that she is a necrophiliac or “one who loves the dead” (Short 252). He …show more content…
The story flashes back and forth between the events in Emily’s life. Emily had a hard time with the change that was happening in her society. She lived in her own time period because she was trying to hold on to the past. By doing this, she didn’t know the difference between reality and the memories of the past that she couldn’t let go of. Its important that everyone is aware of the world and the things that are going on around
William Faulkner was born in 1897 (Short 248). He had originally hoped to be a poet but realized that fiction was more his style (Short 248). He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949 (Short 248). He published close to twenty novels one of which being Flags in the Dust (Short 248). In William Faulkner 's short story "A Rose for Emily", Faulkner uses theme, symbolism, characters, and foreshadowing to explore the differences between reality and perception in order to prompt the reader to question perceived realities.
There are many themes that can be found in Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” such as death and social class. The theme death is shown in many different ways in Faulkner’s story. The theme death could be used to cause the reader to question their perception. Faulkner shows that Emily’s death actually makes the townspeople more curious about the things that happened in her life (Death). When Emily’s father dies, she denies his death and keeps his corpse for a few days before actually burying him (Short 254). This event foreshadows what occurs at the end of the story. When it is discovered that she had been sleeping with the corpse of Homer, it could mean that she is a necrophiliac or “one who loves the dead” (Short 252). He …show more content…
The story flashes back and forth between the events in Emily’s life. Emily had a hard time with the change that was happening in her society. She lived in her own time period because she was trying to hold on to the past. By doing this, she didn’t know the difference between reality and the memories of the past that she couldn’t let go of. Its important that everyone is aware of the world and the things that are going on around