William Faulkner’s short story “A Rose for Emily” presented contemporary readers with a gothic horror story that was all the more haunting because of its innocent appearance. To gain an understanding of the story within a brief analysis, it is necessary to examine the story’s plot, characterization, point of view, theme, symbols, and setting.
The plot of the story is not as simple as one might expect from a short story. If the story is taken out of its original context and placed in chronological order, it tells the story of a young woman dominated completely by her father until she is beyond marriageable age. This makes it very difficult for her to let go of her father when he finally dies, but his death also opens up new possibilities for her to find happiness, particularly in the form of an outsider, Homer Barron. Because of Homer’s lower social status, though, Miss Emily Grierson’s cousins come to town and chase away her lover. Although he was seen once following the cousins’ departure, Miss Emily lives out the rest of her life alone, finally dying in the old house of her childhood. Only then is it discovered that Homer had also died within that old house long ago.
Faulkner makes heavy use of symbolism to help him characterize his people. Miss Emily is the bitter old maid who has been rejected one too many times and, because of her exalted social status, is unable to mix with the rest of the townspeople, the one thing that might have been able to save her. Homer Barron adopts all of the perceived stereotypes of the north – he’s loud, energetic, unconcerned with social norms, and happy to accept new challenges, yet he doesn’t want to be tied down. The old negro that works for Miss Emily is like a dark ghost in the background of the picture, doing the old woman’s bidding whatever it is and then disappearing when the old woman is no longer alive to command him. By contrast, the townspeople are seen as an image of the new, compatible with the energetic and progressive personality of Homer rather than the halting and conservative stance of Miss Emily.
Part of what makes the story so successful is the easy, conversational point of view in which it is told. The entire story is told as if the rest of the town were sharing one of their secrets with the reader as a rare and honored visitor. The tone adopted is sympathetic to Miss Emily’s loneliness and the way in which she had been treated, even as it acknowledges the horror behind what she had done and remorse over the town’s own part in the tragedy. Although almost the entire story takes place within or around the old Grierson mansion, because of this point of view, the mansion, and thus the setting, remains as closed off to the reader as the thoughts of the old woman herself.
Within this short story, one of the main themes Faulkner was exploring was the contrast between the old and the new as the old did its best to stop the progression of time while the new hurried forward to greet the innovations and improvements of tomorrow. In depicting the drastic actions of the old lady just to have someone stay close by her into her old age, Faulkner was also exploring the concept of the old order and the loneliness this forced upon those who had fallen victim to the restrictions of this old order as they became the last remaining defenders of it.
Works Cited
Faulker, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Anthology of American Literature – 8th Edition. Ed. McMichael, George, James S. Leonard, Bill Lyne, Anne-Marie Mallon and Verner D. Mitchell. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2004. 433-444.