A rose for emily
A “Decayed” Rose for Emily William Faulkner once said, “Given a choice between grief and nothing, I’d choose grief.”(goodreads) He further explains why he’d do this in A Rose for Emily; although the story is not about him, he details the loneliness and decay of a poor women, Miss Emily. Emily cannot grasp the idea of death and this leads to the decay of everything around her. A Rose for Emily illustrates the theme of decay in the town, the house, and in herself. The short story A Rose for Emily written by William Faulkner is a tale about an old women named Emily living in the town of Jefferson. The story is told by an unknown narrator who lives in the town of Jefferson. We learn about the life and times of Emily, and her relationship with the town, her father and her lover. At the end of the story we find out about the disturbing truth Miss Emily was hiding. As Emily grows older so does the town that she lived in for her entire life. While she had once lived on one of the nicest streets in Jefferson, the street is now considered to be one of the worst in the town. It seems that the street had aged and decayed with Miss Emily. In her youth, Emily and her family were respected and known as some of Jefferson’s finest citizens. All of the respect that her father earned died with the old men and women of the town. Emily’s father was somewhat of a monument for the old south before the war. When he died, those values of the old south seemed to decay with him. The house that Emily lives in was at one time one of the most beautiful homes in the whole town of Jefferson. When Emily was young the house was well kept. As Emily aged so did the house she lived in. The house became an eyesore for the entire town. With faded paint and an un-kept yard it even began to smell at one point. It would seem that the house and Emily were connected in a way. Both of them had grown old and lost their splendor. Emily had once been one of the most beautiful ladies in Jefferson. With
Cited: Faulkner, W.. N.p.. Web. 16 Oct 2013. . Heller, T.. N.p.. Web. 16 Oct 2013. .