In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” the life of a woman known as Emily is explored. Everything from the way she treats those around her to the way people look up to her can attest to the time period in which men came to view a “fallen monument” (Faulkner 91) and pay their respects to an era that was no longer in their midst. These deep seeded conflicts that grip this region can be pinpointed to the south, during reconstruction, after a long and grueling civil war from which “garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of [Emily’s] neighborhood.” (Faulkner 91) Even before her passing the death of the old was being overrun by the new just as the cotton gins had done to Emily’s street. This old versus new rivalry brings upon the all-important theme of tradition versus change. As the custom of the South the elites or Aristocrats have power not linked to their land alone, but to the name they carry as well.
Death and Decay in a Southern Town “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a southern gothic story of Emily Grierson. It is the struggles of a woman left alone during the reconstruction of the South after the civil war. This story is filled with death and decay. Death fills the story of “A Rose for Emily.” Southern traditions are slowly dying with the coming of changes. Emily is the traditional southern lady, proud of her name and heritage.
The Symbolism of A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" is a great short story written by William Faulkner. The story begins at the end of Miss Emily’s life and is told from an unknown person who probably could have been the voice of the town or also known as the narrator. Emily Grierson is the main character in the story and her life was used as a symbol about her changes in a small Southern town in Jefferson after the civil war in the early 1900's. In the beginning of the story, William Faulkner uses representation such as the house, Miss Emily as a “monument “, and her hair to express the times and the changes in this short story. The main theme of the story is about the decaying in the town, the house, and in Miss Emily herself.
They are not made to stand for one idea, but for many. Symbols are used very frequently throughout the story, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner. The short story is about Emily Grierson. It takes place after the Civil War and the abolishment slavery. The unidentified narrator describes the eccentric circumstances of Emily’s life and her unusual relationships with her father, Homer Barron, the town of Jefferson and death.
After World War One, there were many changes occurring in the world. Man’s need to follow longstanding tradition was being challenged by a continually changing and modernizing world. The past and the present often collided. William Faulkner, a southern born writer, aptly reflects the turmoil of the past and the present in “A Rose for Emily”. The conflict between the past and the present is symbolized in the beginning of the story by this description, “only now Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores” (91).
Her house growing up was once lively and grand, and stood elegantly beside others on what had been the most select street in town. “But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood; only Miss Emily’s house was left” (1). One at a time, her neighbors passed away, eventually leaving Emily and her house as the last vestige of her era. The heart of the town had been shifted towards the more open views of the north, and like the old south, Emily had been left alone to deteriorate along with the rest of her kind. Emily’s father was a strict man who was very set in his ways.
(Toth) As mentioned before, the short story “The Storm” took place in the late nineteenth century in Louisiana. This turns out to be the same place Chopin spent many years of her married life in. The characters Calixta and Alcee, have a once in a life time opportunity to rekindle an old flame that had been burning for years between them. Bibi, Calixta son, and his father, Bobinôt try to pass a treacherous storm at a store located in their home. Both were worried about Calixta who is at home by herself waiting for the storm to pass as well.
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).
On one hand, Dickinson experienced unforgettable love but all to die in the end. Here, “death” expressed her inner complex feeling. On the other hand, Emily believed that “Love” is as sorrowful yet beautiful as “Death”, transitory but everlasting. In addition, in 19th century, Puritan tradition
“A Rose for Emily”: Evil that signifies Emily A rose is assumed to mean a beautiful flower characterized by prickly stems, pinnate leaves, and fragrant flowers with five petals that can range from white, yellow, often red or pink. A rose however can mean pain, sorrow, and even evil. The first sentence of the short story A Rose for Emily introduces one to Miss Emily Grierson who is referred to as a fallen Monument (206). She was a last reminder of the old south and an inherited obligation for the town. As humans we all know that what is born must die but for Miss Emily on the other hand did not believe this so much and certain symbols prove this.