William Faulkner s A Rose For Emily - 1316 Words

There are many ways to read a piece of writing. A reader could take the work at face value, investigate and ponder ideas introduced, or closely examine each minuscule detail in the writing. In order to fully enjoy William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† readers must do the latter. Faulkner is a witty writer; some symbols are less obvious than others in his writing. To fully appreciate and obtain full meaning of the text readers must pay attention to his symbols and how they contribute to the greater theme. William Faulkner uses symbolization in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† to develop a theme of personal struggle. Emily faces many personal struggles: her relationship with the townspeople, her struggle to remain unchanging in a modernizing town, her†¦show more content†¦Emily’s grief is characterized by the townspeople; her explicit actions and feelings are not expressed. The â€Å"we† of the short story entertains the idea of Emily turning cra zy. When her family fails to attend the funeral the gossip continues: And as soon as the old people said, â€Å"Poor Emily,† the whispering began. Do you suppose it s really so? they said to one another. â€Å"Of course it is. What else could . . .† This behind their hands; rustling of craned silk and satin behind jalousies closed upon the sun of Sunday afternoon as the thin, swift clop-clop-clop of the matched team passed: Poor Emily† (519). Noting that the short story is written as a gossipy first person narrative from the viewpoint of the townspeople is important. Emily is characterized by them without the opportunity to defend herself. She intentionally creates a barrier between herself and the citizens of Jefferson, allowing the townspeople to easily gossip about her misunderstood character. Emily, an elusive symbol of the past, is characterized by the townspeople. She is unpleasantly described as: A small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another was obesity in her. She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in