For example, Faulkner states that, “It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white … in the heavenly lightsome style of the seventies, set on which had once been our most select street” (34). The house was old and wearing down. She denied her father’s death for three days because she could not fathom that she was completely alone now. Emily was left with nothing after her father’s death because he pushed away anybody who tried to get near his daughter, only to make her an old, lonely, bitter woman. Secondly, Miss Emily suffers from person vs community conflict.
Depending on how trustworthy the reader feels the governess is, they may think she killed him herself but I believe, with proof, that Peter Quint was possessing little Miles and had something to do with his death. Throughout the novel The Turn of the Screw, Henry James proves that the governess is a credible character until the end by narrating her as a self-aware character that understands she is carried away, by describing the actions of Mrs. Grose and the children to back up her trustworthiness, guiding the reader to believe that the governess does not want attention from the bachelor, and by speaking of her to be seen as an admirable individual for fighting for the children the entire book. Three critical perspectives by Edmund Wilson, Edna Kenton, and Robert Heilman gave three different analyses of the governess in The Turn of the Screw. “The Freudian reading of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, which has had some currency in recent
When the oracle said that her son would kill his father and sleep with his mother she quickly abandoned her son to avoid that horrible fate and thanked the oracle for that. However, when Oedipus heard that Polybus was dead and realized he didn’t kill his father Jocasta said the oracle was useless. Jocasta is the type of person that chooses to be blind and accept the lies but only when they help her. If the truths help her then she will accept the truths. Jocasta is also trying to blind Oedipus in this quote.
Miss Emily’s father has a very strong hold on her, as becomes clear when he dies and she refuses to allow the townspeople to remove his body from the house. When the townspeople arrive at her door, Miss Emily greets them with “no trace of grief on her face” (Faulkner). In keeping Miss Emily from the normal life of a young woman and isolating her, her father has caused Miss Emily to become abnormally attached to him. This is the first glimpse into the mental state of Miss Emily and indicates that something serious has happened Eyler 2 with her psyche during her isolation with her father. Finally after three days, Miss Emily breaks down and allows the townspeople to bury her father.
This ill-fated treatment prescribed by her physician Weir Mitchell, whom she referenced in her story, drove her to the brink of insanity. Gilman illustrates the insanity inflicted on woman by the oppression of their society. Jane, the narrator, has been brought to a country manor by her husband John; being a well know physician, he has diagnosed her with “temporary nervous depression” (531). His remedy is “tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise” (531), and absolutely has forbidden her to work or write. She believes “congenial work” (531) would be good for her but she does not dare go against her husband.
It is very hard on Miss Emily to accept her father’s death, so hard that she keep his body in the same place of his death for three days. The townspeople say, “poor Emily. Her kinfolk should come to her.” These are all instances of insanity. Another instance of insanity is when Miss Emily goes to buy arsenic. “‘I want some poison’ said Miss Emily, and doesn’t tell the druggist why”(704).
The fact that Antigone is now alone is this process does not slow her down at all; not even after Ismene warns her that the consequence of her actions could be death. “Our own death would be if we should go against Creon.” (Line 46, Pg 774). Due to Ismene’s lack of help, Antigone is feeling betrayed by her sister, but will continue on without her. “But as for me, I will bury the brother I love.” (Line 69, Pg 774). Later on when Antigone has buried her brother, Polynieces, she created yet another betrayal; this time on King Creon.
Later in the story, we realize that the true cause of the horrible smell was not from a rat or a snake that was killed. It was from the decaying corpse of her lover, Mr. Homer Barron. Another example in this story of Faulkner’s use of foreshadowing occurs when the town ladies appear at Miss Emily’s door to offer their condolences upon the death of her father, only to have her state that he was not dead. “The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is our custom.” (732). She had no obvious signs of grief on her face.
“Miss Emily’ William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily” (1930), illustrates that Emily was a reclusive, stubborn, “daddy’s girl” with abandonment issues. Emily is portrayed as a recluse due to her extreme lack of interaction with the town’s people, so much so, that the town’s people more or less seen her as a mysterious town monument. After her death, the entire town attended her funeral, either out of respect for “..a fallen monument..” (Faulkner 1) or simply “..out of curiosity to see the inside of her house..” (Faulkner 1). She was someone they traded stories about, but rarely saw, like an old myth. To illustrate Faulkner’s portrayal of Emily’s stubbornness, he describes her unwillingness to pay taxes.
Emily assumed that he would wed her but caught wind that he had said he was “not a marrying man”. Emily could not let go of the only other man she had ever had in her life. Due to her insanity, she killed Homer Barron one night with arsenic. The reason she killed him was because she wanted him to be with her for the rest of her life. After the disappearance of Homer Barron, Emily secluded into her home.