Literary Essay for Eng11
A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner tells the story of Emily Grierson, a woman living in a small Southern town after the Civil War. It is a gloomy and mysterious story and readers are pulled into Emily’s life, which is both tragic and strange. The author uses the plot, characters, and setting to show how Emily becomes more and more alone because of the way the townspeople treat her and the way she clings to the past.
The story’s phrasing is dark and slow and can almost make the reader asleep. The tone is calm but eerie, as if the narrator is telling us about a nightmare. This tone helps create a mysterious atmosphere that fits with the strange events of Emily’s life. The townspeople are the narrators and they show a mix of curiosity and irritation toward Emily. They are fascinated by her and talk about her constantly, but they are also frustrated by her strange behavior.
The town seems to be watching Emily’s life unfold, but they don’t really step in to help her. Instead, they gossip about her behind her back, which makes her feel even more isolated. This creates a feeling of discomfort as we learn more about Emily’s life and the tragic choices she makes.
The townspeople play a big role in shaping Emily’s life. They act as a collective character, constantly observing and judging everything she does. They talk about her refusal to pay taxes, her relationship with Homer Barron, and even the bad smell coming from her house. They are curious about her but never really try to understand her. Instead, they gossip and make assumptions about her life.
The townspeople’s behavior reflects a common human tendency to be interested in other people’s lives. They watch Emily closely, noticing every little thing she does, but they never really try to help her. This makes them seem nosy and a little cruel, as they seem to take pleasure in watching Emily’s life fall apart. Their constant surveillance doesn’t help Emily; in fact, it probably makes her feel even more alone and misunderstood.
One of the other important characters in the story is Homer Barron, though he is not as fully developed as Emily. Homer is described as a Northern laborer, someone who works with his hands and doesn’t come from the same social class as Emily. The townspeople are shocked by their relationship because Homer is not the kind of man they expected Emily to marry. He is not from the South, and he does not fit the image of a wealthy Southern gentleman.
Homer’s character is mysterious as well and it is not clear why he gets involved with Emily or if he has genuine feelings for her. It’s just assumed in the story that he is interested in her money with the story mentioning him as liking young men, while others might see their relationship as a desperate attempt by both of them to find companionship. Whatever the case, his presence in Emily’s life becomes a major turning point, especially when the townspeople discover what happened to him.
The setting of the story plays a big role in showing how isolated Emily is. The story takes place in a fictional Southern town, around the late 1800s. This was a time when the South was still dealing with the aftermath of the Civil War, and many people were struggling to move forward. The town itself is modernizing, but Emily is stuck in the past. Her home is a symbol of her refusal to change, described as old and decaying, much like Emily herself. The house, which once must have been beautiful, is now out of place in the modern town, just as Emily is out of place in the new society.
The story highlights the difference of social classes of the time. The town is divided by class and race, and these divisions are clear in the way people treat each other. For example, Emily’s servant, Tobe, is a black man who works for her, and his role in the story reflects the racial hierarchies that still existed at the time. The way the townspeople talk about Homer Barron, a working-class Northerner, also shows their prejudice and their strict views on who should be with whom.
Emily seems to represent the old Southern values, clinging to her family’s legacy and refusing to change. She doesn’t want to pay taxes, she refuses to acknowledge her father’s death at first, and she isolates herself from the town. In contrast, the town is moving forward, modernizing with new buildings and ideas. The conflict is developed as Emily clings to the past while the town wants to modernize already, but in irony, they also won’t change their age-old habit of gossipping.
Another theme is the way society pressures people to behave in certain ways. Emily is expected to marry someone of her social class, and when she doesn’t, the townspeople gossip and judge her. Her relationship with Homer Barron is scandalous because he is not a “proper” match for her, and this adds to the town’s obsession with her life. The townspeople seem to think they know what is best for Emily, but their judgment only pushes her further into isolation.A Rose for Emily, is kind of symbolic because a rose hasn’t been described or even mentioned in the story. A rose is something beautiful but also has thorns, which can hurt if you’re not careful. This can be seen as a reflection of Emily’s life. On the outside, she seems to be a respected and wealthy woman, but underneath, she is deeply troubled. The townspeople admire her from a distance but don’t take the time to really understand her. The rose could also symbolize how the town gives her a certain amount of respect because of her family’s legacy, but that respect is not enough to save her from her tragic fate.
