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Essay on Gender-related issue in "Rose for Emily"
In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Faulkner's details about surroundings and ambiance give the reader milieu as to the principles and beliefs of the characters, helping the reader to understand the motivations, actions and reactions of Miss Emily and the rest of the town, and changing the mood or tone in the story. Emily works within the tradition of stories and novels that deal with the possibilities and restrictions of small-town life. Thematically, A Rose for Emily may also be considered a tragic love story in the naturalist mode. This story is narrated through a third person's point of view. The story is told from the townspeople.
The story starts off with Emily’s funeral. It states that "the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant a combined gardener and cook had seen in at least ten years." As we can see, Emily was sort of like a mystery to citizens of the town. The author continuously uses symbolism in the story. When the deputation came to her house for her taxes, Faulkner describes how the house and Ms. Emily looks. "Only Miss Emily's house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps-an eyesore among eyesores", this statement explains how the house gives off such a depressing mood. "Her skeleton was small and spare;” this line shows us how her appearance showcases death also.
The author expresses the substance of her character through physical explanation, through her proceedings, words, and feelings, through a narrator's direct comments about the character's nature, and through the actions, words, and feelings, of other characters. Faulkner best uses characterization to examine the theme of the story; too much pride can end in homicidal madness.....
