Change and Adaptability Are Core Aspects of Life - Essay Example

Change and adaptability are core aspects of life Introduction Throughout the different sections of the story, Faulkner portrays the differences between traditional life and the struggle that results from the continuous attempts to remain traditional, despite the changing reality around the characters. Some of the characters that appear to stick with the traditional and the past include Jefferson, who appears like they are having a dilemma on whether to join the changing world or to remain with the fading past (Getty 230). The second character that depicts huge struggles between accepting the changed reality and the past is Emily, who appears not to change, despite the changing time. Her inability to change, though, is used as a mirror of the past and the traditional, which shows her disconnectedness from the real world, which seems the normal life for others (Faulkner 220). This paper will discuss the point of view that change and adaptability play a primary role in life, justifying the stand through the case of the different characters in the story. Discussion During the first section of the story, the author retells about Emily’s death, and the way that almost all the people of the town come to her house for the burial. The huge turnout is contrasted to the fact that none of the strangers had gone into her house for a period of more than ten years. The fact that she never allowed people to come to the house shows the mysterious life she kept, probably hiding from the other people of the town or the changing lifestyle of the changing lifestyle of the town. The author goes ahead to retell that the house had changed from elegant, during the early years, to one which represented a gone time; it stood in the middle of a changed society (Faulkner 220-221). The difference between the then elegant house and the antique-looking house of the present shows that Emily had distanced herself from the changes taking place among the people of her town, and had also not kept up with the changes taking place in the town (Wheeler 56). The two contrasting conceptions demonstrate the fact that the only thing that Emily lacked was adaptability and the strength to keep up with the changing town; this depicts that the two remain very important values in society and life in general. During the different times, when town tax officials visit Emily’s town pushing her to resume paying taxes, she reports to the officers that they were to report Colonel Sartoris – a mayor of past years – who had died more than ten years back. The sharp contrast between what Emily believes to be the truth and the reality taking place in the town depicts the way that a person who is not adaptable and willing to change can be left behind and uninformed (Faulkner 220-221). The lack of knowledge about the news of the town, including the death of the then mayor could be a clear depiction of the sharp contrast between the role of communication in the past and the role it plays in the more modern time. For example, before the death of the mayor, she had information that she was not required to pay the taxes, but after there was a change in the town, the communication outlook changed, leaving her not connected to the news of the town (Faulkner 220-222). The huge gap shows that a person who is not adaptable, able to change with the times, and one who is not willing to communicate and use the changing society is often left out by the changes taking place. In section two, the rejection of change is still retold, during the case when Emily keeps a dead, smelling body inside the house and refuses to accept an official inquiry made by the leaders of the town (Faulkner 222). The given case demonstrates her internalized inability to handle the death of close relations, to the extent that she does not want to allow the authorities or the people of the town to remove the stinking body. Her lack of adaptability and the ability to change is used to show the perpetuated unhappiness that affects her, after the people that she lived with die, and she is unable to get over them and move on with her life (Faulkner 222-223). Further, Emily seems like one who is glued to the past, during the time when the father was alive. At the time, the father also appeared to be one not interested in change and adapting to the way things were, which was evident from his acts of driving her suitors away, despite not having another suitor in mind (Faulkner 80-84). Through section III, the narrator retells of Emily’s sickness, which started after the death of her father. However, Emily seems to have changed for some time, after Homer comes to the town and is seen taking her out on Sundays (Faulkner 223). Unfortunately, Emily visits the drug store and buys a poison, which depicts that she had not quit her earlier lifestyle, despite showing signs of change towards embracing reality (Faulkner 223-224). In section four, the people of the town express the fears that Emily could have thought of committing suicide – may be due to her distant nature – but it turned out that she wanted to kill Homer (Faulkner 224-225). Through section five, the narrator talks of the secrets discovered after the death of Emily, including that she had kept the body of Homer at the house for many years (Faulkner 226). The different cases show the unwillingness of Emily to change and to adapt to the reality of things, including that she seems to remain obsessed to the dead and she never seems affected by her encounter with people like her two cousins (Faulkner 226). Therefore, through Emily, the author shows the consequences of avoiding change, and the inability to change to the changes in life, community and society in general. Conclusion Through the story, characters like Jefferson and Emily are used to show the effects of lacking adaptability to change and the incapacity of people to adapt to the changes and the losses of life. Through the character of Emily, the death of loved ones seems not to be registered in her mind, and the reality of living in the present appears like a threat, which makes her to distance herself from everybody else. For that reason, through the story of Emily and others – the importance of change and adaptability in society is demonstrated; they are projected as very important values of life and community. Works Cited Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 6th Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 79-84. Print. Faulkner, William. A Tale for Emily. Logan Iowa: Perfection Learning, 1990. Print. Getty, Laura. “Faulkner’s a Rose for Emily” The Explicator. 64.3 (2005): 230. Gale. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. Wheeler, David. A Rose for Emily' William Faulkner: A Critical Analysis. New York: Dog Tail Books, 2011. Print. Read More