A Rose for Emily
Aaron Kleinschmidt
Professor Nicholas
EN111
2/19/13
In the short story “A Rose for Emily” there is a unique type of narration used to show the events that take place in Miss Emily’s lifetime. Throughout the story the narrator bases their narration on a “we” perspective as though speaking for all of the townspeople. This is necessary in order to get the same feeling that you get throughout the story with all of the facts provided. By using the perspective of all the townspeople, the narrator creates a feeling where the reader knows what everyone in the town is thinking of Miss Emily and how they depict everything that is happening in her life. All of the town gossip and such is presented through the narration.
Right from the start of the story the narration gives us a sense of how the townspeople think of Miss Emily. The setting is Emily’s funeral with the entire town in attendance “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”. (Faulkner 128) The story then goes back to the beginning starting with the death of Emily’s father. When Miss Emily’s father dies the narrator says, “At least they could pity Miss Emily.” (Faulkner 130). The people thought that Miss Emily was living such a perfect life that this had finally “humanized” her. After the death of Emily’s father she became more of a source of entertainment among the town. When people went to offer condolences they were met at the door by Miss Emily denying her father’s death. Finally the body was disposed of and now she was left with nothing because her father had always driven away anyone who tried to get close to her.
Miss Emily’s next source of entertainment for the town came when the town was having sidewalks paved. Northern workers came down to the southern states to try to rebuild the damages that had been done during the war. One worker, by the name of Homer Baron, seemed to take a fancy to Miss Emily. This
Professor Nicholas
EN111
2/19/13
In the short story “A Rose for Emily” there is a unique type of narration used to show the events that take place in Miss Emily’s lifetime. Throughout the story the narrator bases their narration on a “we” perspective as though speaking for all of the townspeople. This is necessary in order to get the same feeling that you get throughout the story with all of the facts provided. By using the perspective of all the townspeople, the narrator creates a feeling where the reader knows what everyone in the town is thinking of Miss Emily and how they depict everything that is happening in her life. All of the town gossip and such is presented through the narration.
Right from the start of the story the narration gives us a sense of how the townspeople think of Miss Emily. The setting is Emily’s funeral with the entire town in attendance “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”. (Faulkner 128) The story then goes back to the beginning starting with the death of Emily’s father. When Miss Emily’s father dies the narrator says, “At least they could pity Miss Emily.” (Faulkner 130). The people thought that Miss Emily was living such a perfect life that this had finally “humanized” her. After the death of Emily’s father she became more of a source of entertainment among the town. When people went to offer condolences they were met at the door by Miss Emily denying her father’s death. Finally the body was disposed of and now she was left with nothing because her father had always driven away anyone who tried to get close to her.
Miss Emily’s next source of entertainment for the town came when the town was having sidewalks paved. Northern workers came down to the southern states to try to rebuild the damages that had been done during the war. One worker, by the name of Homer Baron, seemed to take a fancy to Miss Emily. This
Citations: Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Portable Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage, 2011. 115. Print