In “A Rose for Emily”, William Faulkner’s use of imagery sets a tone for the general theme of the story, death. A rose to most is seen as an object of beauty, with such a sweet smell. In this story, we see Emily much like the rose, an object of beauty and desire that soon begins to wither and die. Faulkner, through great use of imagery, paints a vivid of a dying rose, Miss Emily.

Faulkner starts the story by vividly describing the way in which Emily’s family was revered in the town. Emily was given the highest respect in a time when “ no Negro woman should appear on the streets without an apron” ( Baym, 2160). Emily became identified in the town as a “tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation” (Knickerbocker, 3). At this point in her life Emily is like the blossoming rose. The people of the town not only

In the next couple of years, Miss Emily then turns back into the withering flower she once was. The next time she is seen her hair grew to an “even pepper-and-salt iron-gray” (Baym, 2164). “ Her skeleton was small and sparse,” and “she look bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water,” (Baym, 2161). Faulkner gives us the image of a person just about to the point of death (Knickerbocker, 2). These images suggests neglect and decay, all the precursors to death.

Faulkner then takes us from an image of an old lady who is highly respected to one that is seen as one to be pitied. After the death of her father and the desertion of her sweetheart, the town starts to “feel really sorry for her”(Baym, 2162). Like a rose she starts to wilt from lack of nutrients. There was no sign of life around the Emily’s home. Many thought she would do just like her great-aunt

Some topics in this essay:
Miss Emily, Emily Faulkner, William Faulkner’s, Miss Emily’s, William Faulkner, miss emily, Rose Emily, Emily Grierson, object beauty, william faulkner, dying rose, baym 2161,