A Critical Essay About William Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'

A detailed Summary of A Critical Essay About William Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily'

William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" was originally published in Forum. It is first short story published in a major magazine. The narrator is unnamed and tells the story in first person plural. This person may possibly be a neighbor or gossiping townsperson, but somehow seems to know what goes on throughout Emily's life. Critic Michael L. Burduck suggest that Faulkner's narrator is a woman because she seems to be concerned with every detail of Emily's life. I believe this is true he also states that the narrator sees to it that Emily's story is not to be forgotten.

The main character is Emily Grierson, referred to as Miss Emily throughout the story. This story has many flashbacks and is told in five sections. The story starts with the death of Miss Emily and people going to her funeral. The narrator lets us know that the men where there out of respect and the women showed up to her house out of curiosity. The house is described, as once being white and decorated, " set on what had once been our most select street. "(2) Knowing this we can assume that Emily's origins are of upper-class status, which later leads to issues with her and her father. They soon flashback to when Emily was alive to the old mayor, Colonel Sartoris. H

The story takes a turn and introduces her sweetheart Homer Barron. The ladies in town describe Homer as a Northerner and a day laborer. They thought she was going out of her class by having a relationship with him. Despite the town's criticism, Emily still held her head up high. Then comes the purchase of the arsenic from the druggist. Emily acted strangely when he asked her what it would be used for. As she stared after he asked the question he backed up and wrote "for rats" on the box. In the next section the town begins to believe that Emily might commit suicide because she bought the arsenic. Emily had bought a toilet set in silver letters H.B. engraved on it as well as a complete set of men's clothing, including a nightshirt. The people in town thought that they are to get married, but obviously they didn't; they thought he left her for good. Years passed and she got older and grayer and everyone noticed Emily is even more distant than before. Finally, she dies, alone ex!

Burduck, Michael L., Another View of Faulkner's Narrator in `A Rose for Emily', in The

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University of Mississippi Studies in English, Vol. VIII, 1990, pp. 20911. Reproduced in Literature Resource Center.

The story then flashes back to thirty years before the unsuccessful tax collection and two years after Emily's father's death. The neighbors start complaining that there is a smell coming from her house. This smell oddly appeared immediately after Emily's sweetheart disappeared. The town reacted by sneaking around her house at midnight and sprinkling lime in the cellar and around the house. The narrator comments about the town taking pity on her because they remember her great-aunt, old lady Wyatt, who had gone entirely crazy. The story obviously goes back and forth in time telling the story of Emily's life. The most significant part of her life is when her father dies

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Approximate Word count = 1304
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English