A Rose for Emily

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A Rose for Emily

William Faulkner’s story a Rose of Emily captures the predicament of Emily, a lady who was concealed form the world by her father and ended up suffering after her father’s death. Emily was ignorant of many things. She had spent so much of her life away from reality that she found it difficult to accept her father death. She also had several conflicts with her community because she did not understand how the world operated. Faulkner uses first parson narration to present a believable story while developing and expressing various themes. In addition, the text creates distinct character traits for the story’s characters and is narrated in tones that make readers sympathise at Emily’s ignorance as well as get amused by her.

There are various themes expressed in the text. The themes include isolation, versions of reality, compassion and forgiveness, and the struggle between the past and present. Isolation in the story is both physical and emotional. Faulkner through this text explores how many things in humans’ lives isolate them. People can be isolated by their communities, families, laws, past, and their personal choices and actions. Faulkner seems to discourage all form of isolation. Expressing the varied forms of reality held be different characters makes Faulkner’s text is a clear statement to people to stop looking at the world through “rose-coloured glasses” so as to look at reality’s face. People have to confront reality in the same way Emily should have confronted her reality. Unfortunately, her father and the townsfolk shielded her from reality. The text also explores the relationship between past and present. Emily is unable to let go of the past. She still holds unto the customs of her father’s generation and still believes in the importance of aristocracy and heredity. Colonel Satori’s decision to exempt her from tax makes her appear to be above everyone. Her inability to let go of the past and embrace new ideas of the new generation is best depicted through her sleeping with Homers dead body.

The text further reveals the conduct and attitude of the character in the story. The story also develops the themes through the feelings and action of the characters. For instance, Emily’s attitude and the way she treats her Negro servant depicts the servant as a slave rather than a loyal. The character of the town’s people also makes them as bad as Emily. For instance, the clerk ignorantly sells poison to her without asking her why she is buying the poison. Similar, the officials do not explore their ability to make Emily pay taxes despite the fact that they want her to pay taxes just like everyone else in town. The town’s people are backward and like to gossip. This behaviour makes them speculate about everything including Emily and Homer’s relationship. Gossip in the story makes Emily more strange and isolated as the story develops. The gossip promotes perception of reality through “rose-coloured glasses,” and shield the people form reality including Emily herself.

The tone of the stories ranges from ironic tone, confessional, angry, gossipy and hopeful. The ironic tone mostly centres on Emily; she is a rose yet with many thorns. Confession is mostly on the part of the narrator who seems to be taking responsibility for the actions of his town’s people. He confesses to the crimes of the townspeople. Gossip goes hand in hand with the confession revealing many things about the town. Some towns’ people including Emily express hope and positivity the things will change for the best.

Certainly Faulkner’s text explores a number of themes that are still relevant to today’s readers and society. It explores various themes through characters and the one of the story. The tone is dynamic and includes ironic tone, confessional, angry, gossipy and hope. The themes explored include isolation, versions of reality, compassion and forgiveness, and the struggle between the past and the present

Reference

Faulkner, W. (n.d.). A rose for Emily.