"A Rose for Emily"

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" begins with the death of Miss Emily Grierson, an old woman who has lived in the town for longer than most town members could remember. The story begins with the death, but it then flashes back, and will finally end with a full look at that death. The town is immediately shown to be a group of people who did not understand her, or even a group of people who were petty and superficial in their interest in her:

Our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house (494).

As we shall see, she was very much a troubled and vulnerable human being, and not a "fallen monument." The men had been intimidated by her because she lived her life without caring about what they thought of her. The women wanted to see the inside of her house, but they got much more than they bargained for.

Miss Emily was such a recluse that only her manservant had seen the inside of her house in ten years. In the old days, Miss Emily had been a member of one of the town's most powerful families. That time had long passed. Her house is now in decay, an "eyesore" (495). The town, out of respect and fear, paid her property taxes for her. The mayor, long dead, had arranged for the town to pay her taxes, but the new leaders thought that was wrong. They went to her to ask her to pay taxes, but she said she owes no taxes. She tells them to go see Colonel Sartor

Related Essays

A Rose for Emily The setting in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily is highly significant to the themes, characters, and events of the short story. .... (794 3 )

A Rose for Emily The setting in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily is highly significant to the themes, characters, and events of the short story. .... (791 3 )

A Rose For Emily The purpose of this research is to investigate the short a story "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner, with a view toward clarifying a single, important .... (2793 11 )

A Rose for Emily The literary techniques of foreshadowing and symbolism are employed by William Faulkner in "A Rose for Emily" to further the themes and action of his gothic .... (1612 6 )

A Rose for Emily .... Falkner, W. (2000). A Rose for Emily. in Kennedy, XJ & Gioia, D. (2000). Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 2nd Edition. .... (1193 5 )

ife as much as they can in company with one another. The final bit of scorn, however, is sent from Maggie to Dee: [Dee] put on some sunglasses that hid everything above the tip of her nose and her chin. Maggie smiled; maybe at the sunglasses. But a real smile, not scared. After we watched the car dust settle I asked Maggie to bring me a dip of snuff. And then the two of us sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house and go to bed (1638). Maggie and her mother know what life and family are all about, even if they don't have a theory about it. Dee is a person who cares more about things and names and prices of things than she cares about human beings. She thinks her "heritage" is in hanging quilts on walls and changing her name, rather than in enjoying her real family and not being ashamed of her true roots. Human life is found in that very "everyday use" which Dee is "too smart" and "too educated" to understand. D.H. Lawrence's story "The Odour of Chrysanthemums" is the tragic story of a woman who discovers that she never knew the man she married and the man who was the father of her two children. It took the sudden and horrible death of her husband for her to recognize this fact. The story begins with the wo

Category: Literature - "