Analysis of William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily

Running head; ENGLISH ESSAY
English essay
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Toil and hardship are one of the most significant part of human life, which play a role in
the way of shaping their mental status. This is the underlying theme of William Faulkner’s A
Rose for Emily. Entire story revolves round Miss Emily Grierson, the unbalanced behavior of
whom has left the reader with utter confusion regarding her mental stability. The fundamental
aim of the story is “To show south, as the region, which is being surrounded by history and
tradition.”
According to the story, there are certain hereditary obligation, which Emily Grierson has
to face throughout her life. High expectation is the critical aspect of the family in which, Emily
Grierson has born and brought up. The line “we did not say she was crazy then we believed she
had to do that we remember all the young men her father had driven away”, highlights the fact
that she has been manipulated mentally. In the story, the character of Emily Grierson had been
sketched as a metaphor, showing the true picture of both the past and contemporary time. The
central figure Emily Grierson is basically the fascination of the story. She is basically a
mysterious figure, who has been changed drastically from hopeful and lively young girl from
that of an enigmatic elderly woman. The
The themes like death and decay have been used as a sign, signify the massive decoration
of contemporary society. According to the story, death of her father has left Emily Grierson with
utter devastation. However, it is the belief among literary scholars that, A Rose for Emily should

1ENGLISH ESSAY
be taught at history class, rather in the English class as the story is based on the history related to
world of delusions. Change and progress are two of major aspect of the story. The condition of
society of American society has been presented in the society. In-fact, she has been presented as
the symbol of the issues, which were being faced by south during 20th century. The story is all
about loneliness and selfishness, which have been experienced by an elderly woman. The story
revolves round the story of grief. The line “She will kill herself”, highlights that death is the
inevitable factor of human life, which is to be accepted by everyone (Faulkner William).
The writing style of William Faulkner is worth to mention in this context, which has
made the story worth to read. First-person plural from has been used by the author in order to
highlight the true perspective of Southern America. Descriptive writing style can be followed
throughout the story. In-depth details regarding the lifestyle of Emily Grierson has been
presented in a beautiful manner. The reader can visualize the story with the assistance of vivid
writing style of Faulkner. The notion of stylistics has been followed in the story. Flashback and
foreshadowing are two of the most significant literary devises that have been used by the author
with utmost efficiency. With the assistance of flashback, Faulkner has presented the earlier
lifestyle of Emily. On the other hand, Foreshadowing is also a key literary devises that has been
used by the author in order to show the expectation of the family, in which Emily has born and
brought up. The story has been narrated by an unknown narrator, with the assistance of non-
sequential flashback. Figurative language has played a significant role in the story in order to
present the life and way of upbringing of Emily.
Irony is also a major aspect of the story, through which the toil and hardship of Emily has
been presented. Definite article has been used in the story, which is evident in the line, “So she
vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before