A Rose For Emily1

A detailed Summary of A Rose For Emily1

After World War One, there were many changes occurring in the world. Man's inherent need to follow tradition was now being challenged by a continually changing, modern world. The past and the present often conflicted. William Faulkner, a southern born writer, based much of his novels and short stories on this conflict. He aptly reflects the turmoil of the past and the present in, " A Rose for Emily".

The conflict between the past and the present is symbolized in the beginning of the story by this description, " only now Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores" (331). It is ironic that the same description " stubborn and coquettish decay" can be a description for Miss Emily as well. And just like her house, which had once been white and on a " select street", Miss Emily had been a slim young girl dressed in white. But as the house fell into decay so had Miss Emily," she looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue"(332).

The town played a part in Miss Emily's delusion. There were numerous complaints of a foul stench permeating from her property. A younger membe

Now the little room above the stairs became the past for Miss Emily. In this room, Emily and Homer remained together as though death had not separated them. Emily had conquered the present; she was allowed to live her life in the past. The bridal room is the color of roses and symbolizes the color of love. In the room " the valence curtains of faded rose color, upon the rose-shaded lights...and the man's toilet things backed with tarnish silver, silver so tarnished that the monogram was obscured"(337). For a while Miss Emily was able to maintain her past in this rose-colored bridal room, in her rose-tinted world.

r of the Board of Aldermen suggested that Miss Emily be told to clean up her property. But due to the old southern ideals of honor, duty and loyalty the older, the more traditional members could not possibly confront her about this matter. "Dammit sir", Judge Stevens said," will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad"(333)? So in the midnight hour they chose to " slunk about the house" and apply lime to the infected areas. Then thirty years later the Board of Aldermen allow themselves to be "vanquished" by Miss Emily as they attempted to collect the delinquent taxes owed the town. The druggist also permits her to purchase arsenic without following protocol. By law Miss Emily was required to tell the druggist what she plan to do with the arsenic. She did not.

Ray B.West Jr., taught at the University of Montana and the University of Kansas. He was also the editor of," Rocky Mountain Stories and " The Art of Modern Fiction". He wrote an analysis on, " A Rose for Emil

Some common words found in the essay are:
Miss Emily, Homer Barron, Present-the Past, Emily Homer, Miss Emily's, miss emily, World War, Rose Emily, William Faulkner, Judge Stevens, Joel Williamson, rose emily, moving pace south, board aldermen, conflict past, miss emily's, description miss, coquettish decay, moving pace, past world, past miss emily, stubborn coquettish decay, stubborn coquettish,

Approximate Word count = 1075
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English