A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner - Essay Example

Introduction The for the short story is A Rose for Emily. The story was written by William Faulkner. It was published in 1931. This story is my favorite narrative and that is why I choose it. William Faulkner was born in 1897 and later died in 1962 at the age of 65. For a long time, he called the small town of Mississippi home since he grew up there. He therefore uses Mississippi as the setting for many of his novels and short stories. During the civil war, Faulkner and his family did experience great losses in terms of money and power.

His work is rooted deeply in the story of the south. He endeavors to tackle issues like race, gender and class. The story of a Rose for Emily is sometimes classified as Gothic literature since it includes horrific elements. In the story, Emily is a very lonely woman (Faulkner).Analysis Part one of the story shows a time of protagonist Emily Grierson’s death. The whole community attends Emily’s funeral but the narrator suggests that no one really knew Emily. Emily lived a solitary life with no family to call her own.

Emily lived alone because his father had turned down many of her suitors. The people felt pity for Emily and she was even exempted from paying taxes. Emily inherited her father’s house after his demise. But it was impossible for her to live with the fact that her father had left her. She thus went ahead to keep the corpse inside the house thus making the people to view her as a crazy person. Though Emily rarely left her house, it was clear that he had started to transform physically. She looked neat and clean with a smart haircut.

Emily later met a man by the name Homer Barron. The reputation of this man was not good at all. Thus the relationship between Emily and the man was scandalous. The narrator goes even a step further to describe Emily as the fallen woman meaning that she was guilty of adultery. The climax of the narrative is when Emily buys arsenic from the local pharmacy. The reader thinks that Emily is going to kill herself only to find out that she ends up killing Homer. After some time, Emily started growing old and her hair turned grey.

She always stayed indoors. This took place for more than six years. The narrator describes how the absence of Emily was later noted by the towns’ men only to discover that she had died. This story clearly indicates an overall mood of pity and melancholy. Emily lived a sad life. The people, who were supposed to bring joy in her life, were the ones responsible for her sadness in life. These are his father and lover (Faulkner).Conclusion The main theme is a constant struggle between the past and the present.

She cannot let go of the attitudes and customs of her father’s generation. She has a firm belief in the importance of aristocracy and heredity. This story is relevant in today’s society. Many people feel discriminated against along the racial lines. Many experience difficulties and hardships in their earl lives and they become so glued to the past in such a way that they forget to live in the pres3ent. Others are consumed by guilt feelings of their past wrong doings. This story should be appreciated and its value should be recognized.

The story helps the reader appreciate the fact that the peoples’ behavior can prove to be odd but the reader is reminded that there might be a good reason for the odd reactions.References