Biography: William Faulkner & Analysis of
William Faulkner was born in 1897 and grew up in Oxford, Mississippi. He studied for a while at the University of Mississippi. He also worked as the postmaster in Oxford until he was fired when people stopped receiving their mail. During World War I he moved to Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, but the war ended before he was given a chance to fight. The only "war injury" he received was an injured leg that resulted for Faulkner's excessive drinking on Armistice Day. After the war, Faulkner ended up in New Orleans as a reporter for the local newspaper. While in New Orleans, he met the novelist Sherwood Anderson who inspired him to become a novelist himself. Faulkner spent most of the rest of his life working as a novelist. He died July 6, 1962 of a heart attack at the age of 65. Although Faulkner is most famous for his novels, he has also written many acclaimed short stories as well. His most famous short story "A Rose For Emily" is a shocking account of a woman's life in Jefferson, Mississippi. The story starts as the narrator tells the reader
"A Rose For Emily" has several important themes and ideas hidden beneath it's text. Faulkner's lack of development of Emily's character is an excellent tool used to convey the theme. that the main character, Miss Emily Greirson, has finally passed away. Another effective method Faulkner uses to convey the feeling of isolation in the story is his use of imagery. Another example of Faulkner's use of imagery can be found at the end of the story where the narrator describes the upstairs room in Emily's house in which Homer Barron has been kept. The narration then shifts to a flashback of the kind of life Miss Emily led and the way she was perceived by the townspeople of Jefferson. Faulkner expresses this theme of isolation very well through his use of character development and imagery. His actions make him appear as if he is Miss Emily's extension into society and that he is the one thing that separates her from total seperation; however, he turns out to be so quiet and mysterious that he becomes a clear example of Emily's isolation from society. The narrator makes the reader aware of Emily's relationship with her father, but he leaves much to the reader's imagination. This mystery intensifies the feeling of isolation and keeps the reader's attention throughout the story. Faulkner's characters in "A Rose For Emily" are effective tools in conveying his theme of isolation. Through his use of literary elements such as character development and imagery, Faulkner conveys very clearly the dangers of being isolated from society. Even though Emily is viewed by the public as an aristocratic woman because of her separation from society and her families statue in the community, this isolation proves to be very dangerous when her husband's body is discovered at the end of the story. Mystery shrouds Emily's true nature in such a way that even the narrator is in the dark about most things involving her. One example of this can be found in Tobe, Miss Emily's negro servant.
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