Rose For Emily Essays - Fiction, Narratology, Point Of View, Style

Rose For Emily Thesis: As any reader can see, "A Rose for Emily" is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner's work is idealistic to all readers. Introduction Short biographical description. William Faulkner "A Rose for Emily" Characterization Emily as the protagonist. The townspeople. Comparison to Mrs. Havisham. Narration Narrator as an observer. Effects on story. Effects on reader. Point of View. Importance of narrator. Foreshadowing Homer Barron. Mood. Effects of foreshadowing in story. Symbolism Emily. "Rose" in title. Other characters in story. Conclusion The works of William Faulkner have had positive effects on readers throughout his career. Local legends and gossip trigger the main focus of his stories. Considering that Faulkner grew up in Mississippi, he was very familiar with the ways of the South. This award winning author has been praised by many critics for his ability and unique style of writing. One of Faulkner's most popular works, which also was his first short story nationally published in 1930, "A Rose for Emily" is one of the most authentic short stories by Faulkner (Pierce 849). By writing about the political and social ways of the South, Faulkner was able to create an illusion of the New south as being what we know today as mainstream America. His use of characterization, narration, foreshadowing, and symbolism are four key factors to why Faulkner's work is idealistic to all readers. The use of characterization in "A Rose for Emily" is clearly important to the story. It is obvious to all readers that Miss Emily Grierson is the protagonist, or the principal character. According to a prominent critic, Elizabeth Sabiston, Emily is a gothic character (142). Sabiston is referring to Emily that way because of the fact that she slept with the skeleton of her lover for forty years. Miss Emily added a mystical tone the mood of the story due to her incapability of being able to live in reality (Watson 180). She was awfully stubborn to the townspeople. This stubbornness also ties in with Emily's ability to live in reality. After she refuses to Nichols 2 pay her taxes, directly to the mayor, she tells them to go and see Colonel Satoris, who has been dead for ten years. This portrays that Emily's illusion of reality was greatly distorted (Brooks and Warren 158). Arthur Voss, a notable critic compares Miss Emily Grierson to the outstanding Mrs. Havisham of the famous story by Dickens, "Great Expectations." Both are motivated by their lovers, isolate themselves in old decaying houses, and refuse to recognize that time has passed. Both characters are proud, disdainful, and independent (Voss 249). This comparison shows the importance of characterization. Without these characters, the story would be radically changed. By understanding Emily, the reader may get a clearer view of the actions that go on during the story (West 149). Several other characters in "A Rose for Emily" are set in opposition to Emily. Faulkner's use of characterization proves to be positive way to exemplify the readers' feelings about certain characters and the tribulations they experience. Another prime example of Faulkner's effective writing is his use of narration. Of course, in most stories the narrator is a key asset. In " A Rose for Emily" Faulkner uses the narrator not only as a story teller, but as an observer from the crowd as well. The narrator's point of view, which is third person, had a positive effect on the way a reader views the story (Lee 47). Through out the story the narrator uses "we" instead of "I", revealing to us the way the townspeople judge Emily. The narrator thinks back in time throughout the story remembering particular events that occurred in past time. Nichols 3 This is important to the reader in that it helps aid the understanding of how the townspeople viewed Emily. The narrator also reveals to the reader that there was once a very distorted view of ideas in the Old South. After revealing these views, he confronts the fact that most of these views were terribly wrong (Watson 180). If the story had been narrated by anyone else, it may not have been as easy for the reader to completely understand. With this spectator as the narrator, describing the events of the story through his eyes, one can detect a general impression of Emily (Madden 1987). The view of the narrator is beneficial in understanding the things that Emily goes through. Also, towards the end of the story