The Nature of Love in Literature

The story of Emily Grierson is a tragic one. Born to a family who "held themselves a little too high for what they really were", Miss Emily has always been subject to the will of her father (Faulkner 624). Left penniless and alone after the death of her father, jilted by her betrothed, Miss Emily takes refuge in her home that becomes a source of mystery and intrigue to the townsfolk. When Miss Emily dies, the townsfolk discover that corpse of Homer Barron in her upstairs bedroom. Her isolation, jilting, and lack of control over her life have driven Miss Emily to murder. The story of Miss Emily demonstrates that failed love can do tragic things to the human soul.

We find out that Miss Emily is from one of the "august" families in town, living in a home that was once admired but has become an eyesore of disrepair after years of neglect. We discover that despite her insistence on keeping up appearances about her "high and mighty" family, Miss Emily is really a heartbroken old woman whose experiences in love have driven her to homicide. We see that Miss Emily's obedience to her father in her youth has robbed her of any chance of finding real happiness in love. As the townsfolk think of her; "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will" (Faulkner 624).

Because Miss Emily adhered to her father's dictates as

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accept that their love could not last. As such, her stubborn and proud character refused to accept his rejection of her. Because of this, she kills the object of her love much like her father's controlling behavior robber her of a chance for love. Works Cited Faulkner, W. "A Rose for Emily." pp. 622-627. Housman, A. E. "When I Was One-and-Twenty." 1896, p. 868. ESSAY TWO Introduction In Hemingway's "Cat in the Rain" an American couple is traveling abroad. At their hotel, the women notices a cat caught outside, trying to protect itself from the rain. The woman has great empathy for the "kitty" and is determined to rescue it (610). The kitten in the rain symbolizes the relationship between the man and woman. The woman is empathetic with the kitten, because it reminds her of the lack of affection and nurturing she experiences in her own relationship with her husband. Body The woman in the story is unsatisfied with her current life. She is frustrated over her appearance. She wants to change her hair because she is tired "�of looking like a boy" (Hemingway 612). She seeks something more than her relationship offers her at the moment. She wants a new hairdo, she wants the kitten to "�sit on [her] lap and purr when [she]

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