Preview

A Rose For Emily Changing South Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1449 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Rose For Emily Changing South Analysis
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place during an era of new beliefs, opinions, and an atypical way of life for the US. Faulkner illustrates a clear depiction of this change that the South faces. The change that takes place in the town and Emily’s retaliation of the changes represent the devastation of the South at the time. The house can also be seen as a representation of the changing South and as an analogy for Emily and her life.
“A Rose for Emily” is told from the perspective of an unidentified inhabitant of the town where the story occurs. Emily’s family, the Grierson family, was practically celebrities and put on a high pedestal. Mr. Grierson, Emily’s father, was known to be strict in raising Emily. After he died, she felt connections and bonds with him, understandably so. Her father taught her to be proud of the South, and her loyalty, devotion and love of the South came from him.
In the story, Emily seems to find comfort in surrounding herself with things that reminded her of the past. She remains in the untouched house, potentially, as a result of her father’s death as her reaction was quite queer.
…show more content…
Just as in the appearance of the town as they “let the contracts for paving the sidewalks the people of the town turned to more modern ideas. At the turn of this new era, some people supported the change while others held onto the past. The town began to change, and those people that agreed with the new thoughts began to step up and recognize their worth. With its more progressive ideas, the newer generation became the strength of the town. As people of the older generation started to move out of Jefferson, in came the fresh, new minds that represented the New South. Emily still felt ties to the Old South, and so continued to hide herself away in her deteriorating house. It is in that house where she slowly deteriorates as a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner skillfully depicts the changes of Emily, who becomes a victim of the transitional period from the old pre-war society to the new post-war society. The author depicts the process of how an aristocratic lady becomes a killer. The story revolves around the life of a troubled and stubborn woman named Emily. After the death of her father and the disappearance of her lover, Emily becomes increasingly isolated from the society. She persistently lives in her self-made shell so that she can preserve her past and protect herself from the changes of society. By using peculiar factors, overcast atmosphere, and the contrast of desolate and modern life, Faulkner exposes the isolation of a woman trapped in the past, her desire for a happy life, and the degradation of the South after the Civil War.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Rose for Emily” is a mysterious and unusual short story. William Faulkner creates a character, Miss Emily Grierson, who is so significant to the town that she is referred to as a “fallen monument” after her death. Miss Emily is an eccentric character, and although she physically changes, her character nor her personality do. Miss Emily is a static character, with internal conflicts, and has odd relationships with her boyfriend and husband. For instance, Miss Emily kept her late father's body and refused to give him up, showing an inability to let go. She keeps his body because she also does not want to be isolated, even though she avoids interaction by staying in her home. Miss Emily's isolation is external with society and also resonates…

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Alive, miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town.”(391) The social class and her father fettered not only her behavior but also everything of herself. Without him she could not do anything except stay at home. She had been isolated from the outside world and the people whose social class was lower than theirs. “only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps—an eyesore among eyesores.”(391) Her house was on behalf of her personality that she was noble, solitary and traditionally. Emily's decaying appearance matches not only the rotting exterior of the house, but the interior as well. Staying far away from people, gradually, she could not know how to get along with others. Being restricted by her family fame, Emily became much more autistic and did things unusual.…

    • 641 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a surprising short story that begins with the funeral of the main character, Emily Grierson. Faulkner uses an anonymous narrator that is considered to be the voice of “the town” and tells the story out of chronological order. The story basically uses the life of Emily Grierson as a symbol for the changes in the South after the Civil War. Faulkner illustrates the South through the use of a series of symbols, such as Emily’s house, hair, and even Emily’s “rose”.…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story is divided into five sections that explains and gives indication about the story itself. William Faulkner uses “A Rose for Emily” to make a statement about the South, at its own danger, is refusing to accept the certain historical changes. If the south continuously shows that they are not able to adapt to the changes in the South they will die a lonely, perverse death like Miss Emily.…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The setting of “A Rose for Emily” is a town made up by Faulkner. It takes place in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. It takes place at the county seat of Jefferson. While Faulkner made up the actual town, it can be seen as a typical town in the south around the mid to late eighteen hundreds through the mid nineteen hundreds. This story focuses on the end of the slavery era and the confusion that ensued when that all ended. It also looks at the future generations and how they dealt with the way of life that existed before they were in…

    • 2498 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Griersons have prospered and built a fine home on the most select street in Jefferson, Mississippi”.In the short story “A Rose for Emily” William Faulkner tells a story of a tragedy about a lady who grows up in a rich and powerful family, and then ends up poor and trapped in her old ways There is more than one cause for Miss Emily’s tragedy.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Paper

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Emily’s house that is very similar to her is a structure of a memorial, the only remaining of a symbolic representation of the past. The house “It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores (pg204). The house is an extension of Emily. It is a tradition but now it’s out of place because of the society that has changed around her. The house, like its owner, is an object of interest for them. They create their own interpretations of the inside of Emily’s torn down house.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Rose for Emily” is a story with many different literally devices. Faulkner’s story is very complex and strange. The use of symbolism, point of view and Southern Gothic literature helps the…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner uses symbolism to paint a vivid picture of the fallen South. This literary piece takes place in the southern town of Jefferson, during the Civil War era and depicts how the Southern way of life fell apart after the war. One of the symbols that he uses to illustrate the deterioration of the South is Miss Emily’s house. Through vivid descriptions of dilapidation of the once beautiful house and the things that Miss Emily cherished, the reader can visualize what the fallen South would have looked like. Faulkner portrays his views and perceptions of the fallen South metaphorically through the decayed image of Emily Grierson's house in “A Rose for Emily.”…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rose For Emily Symbolism

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    At the very beginning of the story, when the narrator is describing the house in which Ms Emily lived, we get our first glimpse of symbolism. The way Faulkner describes the house, then and now, actually represents Ms Emily's life. The paint and color of the house represents Ms Emily's conscience. Earlier, the house is clean and white, pure. As time goes on the house becomes decrepit, and sullied, much like Ms Emily's conscience. The "select street" that she lives on in the earlier years, which later becomes infected and surrounded by cotton gins and garages, represents her place in society. While her father was alive, and sometime after he had passed, Ms Emily was considered high class. Suitors were deemed unworthy to claim her. As more and more tragedy strikes her life, people no longer envy, but pity Ms Emily. When Faulkner describes her house as "lifting…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Rose for Emily

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In “A Rose for Emily”, the narrator begins the story by letting us know that Miss Emily Grierson has died and that she had not been seen in at least ten years. As the narrator continues to describe the house and it’s location as being located on, “which had once been our most select street,” is now encroached and obliterated by garages and cotton gins, it is undoubtedly obvious that the narrator’s goal was to depict Miss Emily Grierson as one who has been living in seclusion in avoidance of a seemingly changing world. The narrator later goes on to say, “only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps – an eyesore among eyesores.” I felt that this description of Miss Emily’s house as being one of stubborn decay was more so a description of Miss Emily herself than the house.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The short story “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is set in the small southern town of Jefferson. The story reveals the peculiar and bizarre events of Miss Emily Grierson’s life. Miss Emily, a supposed monument in the town, lives an unusual life. She comes from a well-respected family and is the last Grierson of her town. The mysterious Miss Emily embodies the Old South.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A Rose for Emily is a story that copies a southern storytelling as an anonymous first person speaks of the town jefferson and for everyone in it may know or believe of Miss Emily. Unusual for Faulkner who uses multiple independent narrators he decides in A Rose for Emily to create the effect of multiple narrators and combines it in to one voice, anonymous, inconsistent voice. The writer reveals information to readers for them to interpret characters actions and express public opinion but specific details are never revealed such as age or gender.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In "A Rose for Emily", William Faulkner uses a theme common to many of his works. The changing of values and attitudes in southern society. Miss Emily was born into a family, the Griersons, that were very established in the community. She was said to be "the last Greirson" in this southern community. The family was no longer wealthy, but continued to be held in high esteem after her father died. The only material thing her father left her was the family home. Miss Emily was left a pauper by her fathers' death . However, the most important thing left her was the Grierson name and all that it represented in that town. The Grierson name conveyed such respect on Miss Emily, that she was virtually untouchable by anything except her own personal tragic circumstances.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics