A Rose For Emily Grierson Character Traits
Yi An Pan
Mr. Timothy Johnson
English
24 October 2007
In William Faulkner’s memorable short story, “A Rose For Emily”, the main character, Emily Grierson, is very complex and not easily forgotten. In order to fully grasp and comprehend her character traits, we also have to take into consideration her way of life and other external factors that contributed to her character. First and foremost, she embodies the pre-war tradition of the South and this makes her very averse to change. Miss Emily is also a possessive and insecure person who becomes a recluse in the later years of her life, and throughout the development of the story, she is presented to us as a character who is slightly insane. In addition, due to the way she has been brought up, she is a very arrogant woman with a great amount of dignity. In the story, Emily strikes the reader as a traditionalist who despises change. Her aversion to change is one of her key character traits and is also the main theme of the story. She is a good representative of the people from the ‘Old South’, who were firmly rooted to their old values and beliefs and were not keen on change. For example, “When the town got free …show more content…
“She carried her head high enough … It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness” (133). Her life has been one that has been cloistered, and as time flows on, she becomes increasingly deranged, and also a loner. “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will” (132). Throughout her life, she has been denied love from other men, which in turn leads to a life without the love of another man besides her
Mr. Timothy Johnson
English
24 October 2007
In William Faulkner’s memorable short story, “A Rose For Emily”, the main character, Emily Grierson, is very complex and not easily forgotten. In order to fully grasp and comprehend her character traits, we also have to take into consideration her way of life and other external factors that contributed to her character. First and foremost, she embodies the pre-war tradition of the South and this makes her very averse to change. Miss Emily is also a possessive and insecure person who becomes a recluse in the later years of her life, and throughout the development of the story, she is presented to us as a character who is slightly insane. In addition, due to the way she has been brought up, she is a very arrogant woman with a great amount of dignity. In the story, Emily strikes the reader as a traditionalist who despises change. Her aversion to change is one of her key character traits and is also the main theme of the story. She is a good representative of the people from the ‘Old South’, who were firmly rooted to their old values and beliefs and were not keen on change. For example, “When the town got free …show more content…
“She carried her head high enough … It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness” (133). Her life has been one that has been cloistered, and as time flows on, she becomes increasingly deranged, and also a loner. “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will” (132). Throughout her life, she has been denied love from other men, which in turn leads to a life without the love of another man besides her