A ROSE FOR EMILY THEME
Blankenship 1
Jackie Blankenship
English 101
September 24, 2014
A Rose for Emily Theme
In William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" the theme is death. Death is referenced at least five times in this story which is why it is so fitting. The main character,
Emily, dies. The story itself begins and ends at her funeral. In the middle of the story the narrator flashes back to when Emily's father passed away. Within the closing statements of the story the townspeople discover something quite intriguing, Emily's most recent lovers' corpse. Some people have a hard time dealing with death while it seems Emily is just comfortable with it.
"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral;"(Faulkner 32).
The opening lines if this story mention Emily's passing. The narrator states reasons why everyone came, which was curiosity.The townspeople were always Emily never left the house much when she and her father were alive, which rises the whole towns interest (Smith par. 2).
Emily's father was a very over protective man as well as him having the mindset that no man was ever good enough for his daughter. Had he robbed Emily of her youth? "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" (Faulkner 34). Perhaps Emily thought she was better off dead at that point. Emily was sick for some time after that. When the townspeople finally saw her again, "her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl," (Faulkner 34). Emily was also compared to an angel that are commonly seen in church windows. At this time is when
Blankenship 2 a reader may think this is where she dies. A few years after her fathers passing Emily had purchased some arsenic and the town thought for sure she would kill herself. Emily being the ambiguous character she is actually dies in the comfort of her own home at the age of seventyfour.
When Emily's father passed away the
Jackie Blankenship
English 101
September 24, 2014
A Rose for Emily Theme
In William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily" the theme is death. Death is referenced at least five times in this story which is why it is so fitting. The main character,
Emily, dies. The story itself begins and ends at her funeral. In the middle of the story the narrator flashes back to when Emily's father passed away. Within the closing statements of the story the townspeople discover something quite intriguing, Emily's most recent lovers' corpse. Some people have a hard time dealing with death while it seems Emily is just comfortable with it.
"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral;"(Faulkner 32).
The opening lines if this story mention Emily's passing. The narrator states reasons why everyone came, which was curiosity.The townspeople were always Emily never left the house much when she and her father were alive, which rises the whole towns interest (Smith par. 2).
Emily's father was a very over protective man as well as him having the mindset that no man was ever good enough for his daughter. Had he robbed Emily of her youth? "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" (Faulkner 34). Perhaps Emily thought she was better off dead at that point. Emily was sick for some time after that. When the townspeople finally saw her again, "her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl," (Faulkner 34). Emily was also compared to an angel that are commonly seen in church windows. At this time is when
Blankenship 2 a reader may think this is where she dies. A few years after her fathers passing Emily had purchased some arsenic and the town thought for sure she would kill herself. Emily being the ambiguous character she is actually dies in the comfort of her own home at the age of seventyfour.
When Emily's father passed away the