He was not able to come to terms with himself that the times were changing, and in turn, Emily was shunned away from the more modern generation of people her own age. Being the obedient daughter she was had caused Emily to become very desolate at the time of her father’s death. It led her to a life locked away in her house, preserving what little she could hold on to. Not only did her
The house in which she lives in was once upon the select street of the town, but eventually it becomes constantly neglected and unappreciated. The “stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pump” (542) is a visible reminder of Miss Emily’s unrelenting attitude to submit herself to change, such as denying father’s death and not paying taxes. The house also symbolizes her physical and emotional disintegration, as well as becoming alienated from the town for a decade. When the Board of Aldermen confronts Miss Emily about her taxes, it is noticed that there is a thin gold chain buried in the folds of her clothing. There is a silence among the room and that is when “they could hear the invisible watch ticking at the end of the gold chain” (544).
As Emily has grown older the town sees her in a different way. In her old age she is seen as a monument to the past that is never seen outside of her house. All of the respect that her father had earned died with the old men and women of the town. In the story, we see how past events affect the life of the main character Miss Emily, especially her inability to accept change. Throughout the story Miss Emily goes to extreme measures to protect her social status.
Her father was the one that kept her sheltered most of her life. She never really came out the house for anything, besides her servant, Tobe. Towards the middle of the story Miss Emily’s funeral was referred to a symbol as the “fallen monument” (209), which could have meant that it was once a beautiful and wealthy home, but as time passed it grew very old and deprived. Also, Miss Emily’s hair is one of the symbols, after her father’s death she decided to cut her long hair. Her hair could symbolize her being free of her father controlling her life.
The town played a definite part in Miss Emily’s mental delusion. There were numerous complaints of a foul stench coming from her property and yet no one addressed it to her directly. A younger member of the Board of Aldermen suggested that Miss Emily be told to clean up her property. But due to the old southern ideals of honor, duty and loyalty the older, the more traditional members could not possibly confront her about this matter as ‘Dammit sir”, Judge Stevens said,” will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?”(93) So in the midnight hour they chose to slunk about the house and apply lime to the infected areas. Lime is a white powder that is good at covering the smell and aiding in the process of decomposition.
(BODY) (KEY POINT) Alice Munro depicts childhood attitude of the narrator when she remembers her childhood. (SUPPORTING DETAILS) She has an eight years old friend Steve Gauley, drowned. It seemed a worse shame that there was no mother, no grandmother, aunt or even sister to received Steve Gauley and give him his due respect. He has a father who saw Steve as an accident to his life. The funeral held in their house and her mother did most of the arranging of Steve funeral.
Sheena Jones Professor Valencic LITR330 October 20, 2011 “They said”, “We said”, “She did”: A Nosy Narrative Faulkner’s ingenious use of voice in “A Rose for Emily” gives it an old tabloid feel. At first glance, the title of this short story suggests that Emily was a much loved and adored woman; however, a rereading of the texts reveals that Emily was a source of intrigue and gossip for the people of Jefferson County. The story is told through an omniscient observer which is illustrated in the first sentence of the texts; “when Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral, the men [out of] affection for a fallen monument, women…curious…to see the inside of her house,” (Faulkner); assuming that the narrator reveals this information about the townspeople in order for the reader to discern their purpose for attending was more to gawk and gossip rather than show adoration for Miss Grierson. The narrator is present but is merely reporting events as they happen. The townspeople’s curiosity is typical of what might be found in most small towns, their interests and entertainment lie within the personal lives of others.
William Faulkner chooses to tell the short story “A Rose for Emily” from the perspective of the townspeople of Jefferson, who observe and interact with the eccentric Emily Grierson and her family over the course of her 74 year lifespan. Collectively, the townspeople give the appearance of discharging their duty to Miss Emily, seeming to treat her with the consideration and care which is traditionally due to members of aristocratic families. However, it becomes obvious, over the course of the story, that individual segments of the community are at complete odds with the special treatments afforded her. At times, the opinions and feelings of the townspeople about Miss Emily are divided across multiple boundaries including those of generation, social position and gender. The story begins at the time of Emily Grierson’s death.
Due to this reason, this changes the mood or tone in the story. In “A Rose for Emily”, a woman confines herself in her large house in a small town during the early half of the twentieth century. The setting in “A Rose for Emily” is Faulkner’s fictitious post-civil war Jefferson, a small town in the deep south of the United States. The town is isolated and the people of the town seem to value this quality, however they highly lack progression in social change. Faulkner’s use of this particular time-period is successful in giving the reader an understanding to the values and beliefs of the characters in the story.
Emily’s Loss Week 1 Individual Assignment Elisabet Velasquez ENG 125 Angela Mullennix 3 February 2014 Emily’s Loss | | | In the short story A Rose For Emily written by William Faulkner, the narrator who is unknown takes us | | |through a few decades in the life of a woman named Miss Emily Grierson. One can analyze the different strategies that| | |the author uses in “A Rose for Emily” by looking closely at the different themes and messages in this short story. | | |Throughout the story William Faulkner conveys a message of loss and change. | | |The story begins and ends in one house in the town of Jefferson, where Emily has lived many years. The town’s people | | |have received the news that Miss Emily has died.