"A Rose For Emily"

Book Review # 116479

English > Analysis
Literature > American

"A Rose For Emily"

A literary criticism of William Faulkner's short story "A Rose For Emily".

1,055 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses William Faulkner's short stoy, "A Rose for Emily", and explains that it is a story that explores the deepest and darkest recesses of loneliness, morality and the obligations of noblesse oblige. The paper describes Faulkner's exceedingly tragic character Miss Emily Grierson as a distinct product of her unique environment who was raised as an affluent and influential Southern lady, destined for wealth, happiness and an opulent lifestyle, yet denied all of these things in a cruel and unusual fashion. The paper contends that within this story Faulkner inserted a request for all of mankind to act in a moral way and show empathy to those who have a need.

From the Paper:

"The decaying old house is a direct reflection of Miss Emily and shows the reader a crystal clear picture of her mindset and character. "It smelled of dust and disuse-a close, dank smell" (Faulkner 269). The furniture inside of the house was in a similar state as the rest of the house and the leather chairs in the parlor were dusty and cracked. Miss. Emily is almost an exact reflection of her home, her Southern aristocratic upbringing, and the time period in which she lived. All of these elements coagulate jointly to create a dark, gothic, aloof, and guarded protagonist that is terrifying to behold and possesses a morbid sadness. The loneliness Miss Emily felt and lack of outlets eventually drove her over the edge of sanity and into a dark forbidding mindset."

Sample of Sources Used:

Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Ed. Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn. Upper Saddle River NJ: Pearson Education, 2005. 268-275.
"Contemporary literary criticism, Vol. 28." Literature Criticism Online Web site. 29 Aug. 2009 <http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.saintleo.edu/servlet/LitCrit?dd=0&locID=sain11218&d1=CLCX_028_0018&srchtp=b&c=3&df=f&docNum=FJ3511250018&b0=faulkner&vrsn=1.0&srs=ALL&b1=A1&d3=12&ste=10&d4=0.50&stp=DateDescend&n=10&tiPG=0>.