Literary Analysis- “A Rose For Emily”

 


By Leah

🥀 “A Rose For Emily” 🥀 

"A Rose For Emily," written by William Faulkner tells the story of a mysterious woman, in a small town. Throughout the passage, the theme of isolation is highlighted, and greatly emphasized through the careful use of syntax and diction. Read the excerpt from my essay below to see how this is demonstrated in the text: 

    Miss Emily’s firm attachment to her home provides understanding to the reader by highlighting themes of solitariness as well as confinement.  This may be demonstrated when Emily composes a letter in response to the sheriff, regarding meeting with him to discuss her taxes. She simply responded with a letter, which informed the sheriff she would not be leaving her home. The narrator emphasizes this when stating, “A week later the mayor wrote to her himself, offering to call or send his car for her, and received in reply a note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink, to the effect that she no longer went out at all.” Emily’s refusal to leave her precious, rotting home illustrates her tight grip on what no longer can be attained, the past, her father. The selective and purposeful word choice forms a vivid picture of the letter the mayor received in reply regarding her lack of paying taxes. The suspicious, “archaic” paper with “faded ink” leads the reader to infer Emily truly stays in her home at all times, not even writing to her family and acquaintances, losing her grip on herself.

My Interpretation

Although I was not able to opinionate on the short story throughout my essay, I would like to provide my take on the passage, much like my peer Alexandria did. 

As I read the dark, gothic fiction short story, I wondered, and I pondered the purpose of using symbols such as the Grierson home, or the faded ink letter, to emphasize the main theme. I noticed the house deteriorated along with Miss Emily, and the image that the town had of her, who they believed her to be. The faded ink truly proved to me to a greater extent just how attached Emily is to her rotting house. Not only did the contents of the letter highlight the way she viewed leaving her home, but the fact she did not go out to purchase a new pen, or more ink, surprised me. 

In addition, the fact Emily did not leave her home may have been linked to the fact she had a corpse lying next to her in her bed. Perhaps she was afraid while she was gone someone might come over, or she may have felt guilty leaving Homer Barron's body all alone in the home with no one else but Tobe, the servant. 

Woman in Mourning clothes, likely similar to Emily's clothing





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

Profile-The San Jacinto Plaza

Image
By Leah 🐊 San Jacinto Plaza🚎 The San Jacinto Plaza, not only a two acre piece of land, but a place for people to interact, has affected the identity of the city of El Paso. From the purpose it served long ago, to the historical significance it provided today, the Plaza continues to impact the way El Paso is viewed, and has gifted a historical location for the population of the city to connect. For instance, the San Jacinto Plaza was opened to the public in 1883, making it an establishment impactful to the community since over a century ago. The San Jacinto Plaza, opening opportunities for new establishments to form, brought in many people, making businesses such as the Plaza hotel and the Plaza Theatre as successful and popular as they are today. Its convenient layout and purpose have drawn much of the population together in one iconic area.  During the late 50’s, my grandmother worked as a maid, crossing the border every day to take the streetcar to the Plaza and arrive at the h...
Read more

Feisty Grandma + Middle School = Cultural Literacy-Literacy Narrative

Image
By Leah  Throughout my literacy narrative, I discussed my journey of literacy in the Mexican culture and the Spanish language, learning to recognize it as my own, and see just how big of a role it plays in who I am. In my essay, I discussed the various ways I found my place in the Mexican culture, the locations which allowed me to embrace who I am the most. Oddly enough, these places turned out to be, for the most part at school. One of these places was Folklorico club. This is a traditional Mexican form of dance in which women and girls wear large, colorful skirts, waving them around to showcase the vibrant colors. I danced my heart out in this club, and waved that skirt with pride. Above is an image of a Folklorico dancer in her vibrant colorful skirt. I also told the story of me and my family's arrival to our new home where we would live with my grandmother. I recall being greeted by my family members, each with a huge smile on their face. Their smiles provided me with a certain...
Read more

Reflection-A Family’s History in One Photo

Image
  By Leah  A Family’s History in One Photo   My Grandmother and Grandfather look so in love, gazing at their wedding bouquet, likely imagining the life they were to create together, the memories they would form. This photo represents my place in society because the two people in this photo have greatly contributed to making me the person I am today. Although I never met my grandfather, I am inspired to be happier because of the way in which my mother describes him. Living with my grandmother for nearly ten years, learning from her, watching how she treats others, I am inspired. I desire to face the obstacles set in my path just as strongly and fiercely as my grandmother. Pushing through obstacles with not only determination, but with a smile on my face is the goal I would like to look back on in the future. My Grandparents (1959) My Bolita (2020)
Read more

Literacy Narrative - Strawberry: A Grandpas Influence on Literature

Image
                  Strawberry                 Reading strongly impacted my life from a young age. I began learning to read at around age  four, not to declare that I u nderstood and analyzed what I read , but it began  sparked  my journey and hunger for literature in almost every form. This journey began with my grandfather, or Gramps as I called him. He encouraged me to continue reading even after I felt discouraged for reading a word wrong or not being able to pronounce a word .  I thank Gramps for many  precious gifts , such as the house I live in, the food I enjoy, and  most significant of all, my ability to comprehend and understand words on paper.                                           A mural from the Barrio Gramps grew up.          ...
Read more

Report-Blood Transfusions, Worth The Risk?

Image
By Leah    🏥 Blood Transfusions-Worth The Risk? Whenever a person thinks of blood transfusions, they certainly do not think DANGER! The true nature of blood transfusions involves more risks than many believe, especially transmitting highly dangerous, and oftentimes fatal diseases. Some of these transfusion transmitted diseases include parasites, viruses, and bacteria. These infections vary in intensity and severity from recipient to recipient. The severity is also affected by how severe the person which donated the blood contracted the disease. Not only have blood transfusion been proven to transmit fatal and deadly diseases, but they also have proven to cause extended stays after surgery on patients which received pre as well as post surgery blood transfusions, and caused more post surgery complications.  A brief excerpt from my report better explains this information: “HIV, malaria, syphilis, and various other harmful infections enter the bloodstream, people who unknow...
Read more

Literacy Narrative

Image
  My relationship with literacy is bittersweet, I don’t like writing essays for a class, yet I love reading and writing messages from my loved ones. There are a few factors that contributed to my literacy journey but the main factor is my mom. My favorite picture of me and my mom From a very young age my mom has always been involved in my life. She encouraged me to constantly read, and for a long period of time I was an avid reader. Little Women, Black Beauty, and even Gone with the Wind, are just some of the classics I have read as a child. I’ve been told that even as a young girl I would regularly write little notes for my parents, it was always a way to express what I was feeling when I could not speak the words. She was the most positive impact on my journey, but as I made my way through each school grade the relationship between me and literacy turned sour. All of a sudden reading and writing became a chore, and an unpleasant one at that, I no longer enjoyed writing. A...
Read more