“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner clearly portrays the consequences of maintaining a timeless lifestyle that goes without attempting to move forward or make any sacrifices. Ultimately, people choosing such lifestyles for themselves are often unhappy in the end, as they lose opportunities in the process (Diani, 2019). At the same time, this process is often judged by social standards and may differ for individual cases.
Bailey Basinger’s analysis offers an alternative perspective to the narrative. The author emphasizes the theme of gender roles and their perception in the story of Emily and the rest of the town. Basinger explains that the descriptions of both Emily Grierson and Homer Barron “create tension” from the ways their gender and sexuality are illustrated (Basinger, 2019, p.837). In that way, common contradictions and ambiguous references to the perceived social images of the characters suggest additional questioning of their sexuality and gender representation. The relationship between Emily and Homer being highly secretive also adds to the vagueness of the mentioned themes in this context (Basinger, 2019). Little information is given to draw solid conclusions about their true intentions with the affair, although Basinger refers to even minor details to make such statements.
In that way, Basinger uses quotations abundantly to explicitly demonstrate the contradictions and minimal details included in the text regarding the main characters’ gender identity and sexuality. For instance, quotations are used to illustrate the narrator’s ambiguous physical descriptions of Emily (Basinger, 2019). Besides referring to Faulkner’s short story, Basinger additionally considers the reviews of other literary critics and authors to prove her point. Her use of quotations remains effective throughout the text due to their strategic placement after each argument or point being made. Basinger extracts quotations from different parts of the text to be used in one explanation, as in the example of the symbolism behind Emily’s hair (Basinger, 2019). Hence, the author’s use of quotations proves extremely effective for the general points she made. At the same time, additional quotations could have been used to support her claim.
“She died in one of the downstairs rooms, in a heavy walnut bed with a curtain, her gray head propped on a pillow yellow and moldy with age and lack of sunlight” (Faulkner, 2019, p.856). The quote illustrates the despairing scene of Emily passing away in the presence of only the things she surrounded herself with and no family or friends. The hair symbolism that is related to tensions around Emily’s gender identity prevails once again (Basinger, 2019). Therefore, it would be useful in reemphasizing the effect of hairstyle manipulations on the perception of a character.
“We had long thought of them as a tableau; Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a straddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door” (Faulkner, 2019, p.854). This fragment refers to the social view of the Grierson family; more specifically, the townspeople’s attempts to understand Emily’s marital status are clear indications of her unset sexuality. This quote would be used to highlight the social expectations for Emily’s relationship status.
“Alive, Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (Faulkner, 2019, p. 851). The general perception of the character is repeatedly forced into social standards set by the town. This quote explains the limited abilities of the characters to express or rethink their sexuality or gender identity as traditions control them. Hence, incorporating this quote into Basinger’s analysis would aid in accentuating her point of “…prejudices in the town…” (Basinger, 2019, p.838). In that way, the story of Emily and Homer, including their gender identity expression, is introduced in Faulkner’s short story and is further explored in Basinger’s work. The idea of ambiguous gender identities and sexuality was demonstrated through the use of quotations and examples from the text.
References
Basinger, B. (2019). Tension, contradiction, and ambiguity: Gender roles in ‘A Rose for Emily’. In R. Bullock & M.D. Goggin (Eds.), The Norton field guide to writings with readings (5th ed.), pp. 851-860. W.W. Norton.
Diani, I. (2019). Structural analysis of ‘Rose for Emily’: A short story by William Faulkner. In International Seminar and Annual Meeting BKS-PTN Wilayah Barat, 1(1).
Faulkner, W. (2019). A Rose for Emily. In R. Bullock & M.D. Goggin (Eds.), The Norton field guide to writings with readings (5th ed.), pp. 851-860. W.W. Norton.