A Rose for Emily, written by William Faulkner, first came out in 1930. It was considered one of Faulkner’s darkest stories he ever wrote as a writer. However, there is a theme to this story. Many ideas underlie this story and should not be taken as a simple horror story. Through the plot and characterization, the reader feels an emotional impact when completing this story due to the realism and details given. Faulkner chose a point of view that contributes to the overall affect of the story. The narrator used a distinctive manner of telling the story, which I will explain in more detail. One of Faulkner’s unique writing talents is his ability to use detailed and creative description. The use of description shaped my views on the characters, Miss Emily’s house as well as the whole town.

When writing A rose For Emily, Faulkner used a first person minor point of view. Emily’s story is told after her death; therefore, an outside perspective was necessary. Another reason William Faulkner chose this point of view is that it is a limited point of view. The result is that readers cannot truly understand what the characters are truly thinking and feeling. The “true st

“They rose when she entered—a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another, was obesity in her. She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue.” (242)

This description gives a glimpse into the life of Miss Emily in what once was the present, and in retrospect. The word “once” was used twice thus implying that life was no longer that way for Miss Emily. Small details describe Miss Emily’s life in the past and her life in death. The house was described as white, which usually represents purity or goodness, and it is also described as decaying. The character of Miss Emily was portrayed as decaying on the physically on the outside as well as her mentality on the inside.

In this story, there are numerable references to death and change. I feel Mr. Faulkner wanted to stress that life goes through a series of changes and one must accept these changes. It is evident that Miss Emily refused to accept change or the ideal of death. She refused to pay her taxes by retreating to her past when she did not have to. She had not recognized the death of her father and refused to recognize the death of Colonel Sartoris as well.

This piece shows how small the town must have been if everyone in Jefferson went to Miss Emily’s funeral. In addition, throughout the story, it tells of how old-fashioned and small the town is because gossip of Miss Emily traveled fast, and many towns’ persons did not understand Homers tendency to drink with the other males after work instead of seeking female companionship. Homer Barron’s character is very interesting since he was know as a homosexual “…Homer himself remarked—he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elk’s club—that he was not a marrying man.” (245)

ory” is not known until the townspeo

Some topics in this essay:
Miss Emily, Miss Emily’s, William Faulkner, Homer Barron’s, Rose Emily, miss emily, Emily Faulkner, Homer Barron, Homer Homer, miss emily’s, Colonel Sartoris, rose emily, life miss emily, life miss, manner telling story, faulkner chose, barron homosexual, chose view, miss emily refused, overall effect, miss emily’s house, completing story, tarnished gold head, impact story,