The Theme Of Symbolism In 'A Rose For Emily'

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Can someone be so lonely that they will do anything to be loved, even murder another person? “A Rose for Emily”, written by William Faulkner, introduces readers to a creative, complicated, and dark short-story that is set in the Southern town of Jefferson, Mississippi. Faulkner’s complex story is based on an eccentric but reclusive traditional, southern woman who has throughout generations been both taunted and pitied by her own townspeople. While the southern generations have changed over the years, Miss Emily’s life has continued to stay the same due to her peculiar upbringing caused by her father. Her father forced her to take on a submissive role and never allowed his daughter to be socially accepted either by the townspeople or with men in general. On the other hand, the town was just as bad as her father in that she was made to be an outcast and the only way she could ever love or be loved was through death. However, the town not only gossiped and pitied Miss Emily but they also symbolically thought of her as a “monument” and a “tradition, a duty, and a care” (Faulkner 299).…show more content…
It is only assumed that since the word “we” is often being used that the townspeople are narrating the events and describing the characters from their own perspective (Faulkner 298-306). However, due to the narration of the story being told out of chronological order this allows for you to have a dimensional perception of who Miss Emily Grierson is, the presumed reason for her eccentric lifestyle, and her love interest Homer Barron. The townspeople believe that Miss Emily, who is perceived to be a stubborn and complicated woman, is in constant conflict with herself, especially after the death of her beloved
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