William Faulkner, the writer of the short story “A Rose for Emily” was a traditional southern man who liked to use symbolism of his characters to relate to the downfall of the south. Throughout my analysis, the trend of the South running itself into the ground from thinking they were so high up and the South never allowing themselves to explore different opportunities because they only knew what they were taught, appears. He uses these particular themes and puts them into symbols by using Emily Grierson and her father. They were a respected family in the South but her father was very strict and protective over her and her innocence and you see that portrayed through a tableau of her father standing in the doorway with a whip and Emily behind
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As well as for Emily, she only knew what she was given or what she was taught, she never had the chance to explore beyond what she learned and it was all from her father. And when her father passed, Emily really had nothing, the narrator even pointed out the family hadn’t been represented at his funeral, “She had some kin in Alabama; but years ago her father had fallen out with them over the estate of old lady Wyatt, the crazy woman, and there was no communication between the two families. They had not even been represented at the funeral” (Faulkner ?). With no one and none of her own experiences, Emily stayed home and she grieved. When she reappeared, she found a man named Homer Barron, but soon he was going to leave her too. Just like her father, she denied he was gone for two weeks, she couldn’t let go of Homer, so she kept him. And that stems from her father not being able to let go of her and allowing her to be her own. Emily bought Homer the silver toilet set and the night shirt and she kept him in the bed. It all comes back to her being taught not to let go and you usually don’t stray from what you’ve always known as acceptable.
William Faulkner never fails to use symbolism to his advantage. Obviously, being from the South and coming from traditional values, he uses this strategy to portray his own feelings towards the South’s
As well as for Emily, she only knew what she was given or what she was taught, she never had the chance to explore beyond what she learned and it was all from her father. And when her father passed, Emily really had nothing, the narrator even pointed out the family hadn’t been represented at his funeral, “She had some kin in Alabama; but years ago her father had fallen out with them over the estate of old lady Wyatt, the crazy woman, and there was no communication between the two families. They had not even been represented at the funeral” (Faulkner ?). With no one and none of her own experiences, Emily stayed home and she grieved. When she reappeared, she found a man named Homer Barron, but soon he was going to leave her too. Just like her father, she denied he was gone for two weeks, she couldn’t let go of Homer, so she kept him. And that stems from her father not being able to let go of her and allowing her to be her own. Emily bought Homer the silver toilet set and the night shirt and she kept him in the bed. It all comes back to her being taught not to let go and you usually don’t stray from what you’ve always known as acceptable.
William Faulkner never fails to use symbolism to his advantage. Obviously, being from the South and coming from traditional values, he uses this strategy to portray his own feelings towards the South’s