Emily Grierson Prognosis
Psychotherapeutic Process: Grief
William Faulkner’s persona in “A Rose for Emily” speaks of the dangers of psychological issues; psychological issues that affect every aspect of life for Emily Grierson. In all actuality, Emily Grierson suffers from anxiety, grief, and psychotic symptoms- this prognosis is supported by Miss Emily Grierson’s sleeping with Homer Baron, a corpse. The theme, or central message, in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” is that people suffer from psychological and psychotic issues but some go undiagnosed and untreated. According to the narrator in one of the important quotes from "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner the townspeople “did not say she was crazy” at first (Faulkner), and of course, she was …show more content…
Kinney has argued that Miss Emily’s delusions, especially about her father’s death, develop as a defense mechanism, for the death of her father represents “the death of the old order and of herself as well” (94). John Staton adds that “Having been consumed by her father [figuratively], Emily in turn feeds off Homer….She has taken into herself the violence in him which thwarted her and has reenacted it….” (235). Some feminist critics interpret Miss Emily’s illness differently. Appleton Aguilar, for instance, contends that Miss Emily “insists on maintaining her own existence, which the townspeople continually refuse to allow as they wish her to sustain her position as icon and memorial to the antebellum South” (30). While Miss Emily’s gender and her place, both literally and figuratively, certainly exacerbate and may have even caused her condition, there is far too much textual evidence to support the counterargument. Miss Emily is not merely trying to assert an independent existence; rather, she has never been able to do so and for that reason she has developed symptoms of schizophrenia as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story that is, at its heart, a tale about the pressures of society and the ways in which they can wear people down. Miss Emily lacked adaptive coping skills to help her manage
William Faulkner’s persona in “A Rose for Emily” speaks of the dangers of psychological issues; psychological issues that affect every aspect of life for Emily Grierson. In all actuality, Emily Grierson suffers from anxiety, grief, and psychotic symptoms- this prognosis is supported by Miss Emily Grierson’s sleeping with Homer Baron, a corpse. The theme, or central message, in William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” is that people suffer from psychological and psychotic issues but some go undiagnosed and untreated. According to the narrator in one of the important quotes from "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner the townspeople “did not say she was crazy” at first (Faulkner), and of course, she was …show more content…
Kinney has argued that Miss Emily’s delusions, especially about her father’s death, develop as a defense mechanism, for the death of her father represents “the death of the old order and of herself as well” (94). John Staton adds that “Having been consumed by her father [figuratively], Emily in turn feeds off Homer….She has taken into herself the violence in him which thwarted her and has reenacted it….” (235). Some feminist critics interpret Miss Emily’s illness differently. Appleton Aguilar, for instance, contends that Miss Emily “insists on maintaining her own existence, which the townspeople continually refuse to allow as they wish her to sustain her position as icon and memorial to the antebellum South” (30). While Miss Emily’s gender and her place, both literally and figuratively, certainly exacerbate and may have even caused her condition, there is far too much textual evidence to support the counterargument. Miss Emily is not merely trying to assert an independent existence; rather, she has never been able to do so and for that reason she has developed symptoms of schizophrenia as a maladaptive coping mechanism. Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a short story that is, at its heart, a tale about the pressures of society and the ways in which they can wear people down. Miss Emily lacked adaptive coping skills to help her manage