Literary Analysis On "A Rose For Emily"

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NAME Teacher CLASS DATE Literary Analysis on “A Rose for Emily” For as long as anyone can remember, great authors have come and gone making their marks in history. In the most recent of those centuries, we have been blessed with the sensual vividness of remarkable writers such as Flannery O’Conner or Edgar Allan Poe. However, being perhaps the most provocative writer of southern sensibility, William Faulkner certainly stands out from the rest. Though he has written numerous novels and short stories, his most famous would have to be “A Rose for Emily.” Being a model expression of American Gothicism, “A Rose for Emily” uses strong characterization, a stimulating mystery, and an ironic twist at every turn. Perhaps one of the most interesting things I find about this story is the unique use of characterization. While the story is in fact dictated by a singular source, the narrator uses the conjunctive “we” to further the progression of the story. In this sense, all the citizens of Jefferson, in their deeply ingrained curiosity, act as the protagonist in this tale. Their judgmental assumptions are stalwartly supported by Emily’s bizarre behavior over the years while being socially reclusive. She is also a very haughty woman when she snaps at the city authorities, “See Colonel Sartoris. I have no taxes in Jefferson.” This shows a woman who refuses to submit herself to mundane things such as taxes or proper graciousness (Last Paragraph of Part 1). Another aspect of this story that I am fond of are the resounding mysteries along the way. Much like Edgar Allan Poe’s writing style, Faulkner conveys a very dark account of a town losing its southern awareness. With every turn of the story’s progression, a new mystery is presented such as her argument with the store clerk when she is buying rat poison. Though the evidence might support the townspeople’s

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