A rose for emily

             William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" draws a vivid picture of the south of the United States the turn of the century. It begins with the narrator mentioning the funeral of the eponymous Miss Emily. Faulkner's style in revealing the consequences of Emily Grierson's life and the shocking revelations of her death is very interesting.
             The narrative structure of the piece is interesting in that it does not follow a typical chronological order. The details of the story are revealed slowly by Faulkner as he allows the sense of suspicion to grow before revealing the murder of the Homer Barron by Emily.
             The narrator begins his chronology with the funereal of Emily. The narrator is not named and whilst seeming omniscient in his knowledge of events is clearly identified as a member of the community which surrounds Emily. The use of the pronoun "we" when referring to the townsfolk, as in:
             The narrator moves from the funeral back in time to the occasion when the City Authorities attempt to revoke her tax exempt status. The narrative then flows backwards and forwards through time revealing significant details of Emily's life and preparing the reader for the shock of Homer's murder. The narrative is also split into five section, this allows for shifts in time and reveals images of Emily at various stages of her life.
             The fact that Emily is tax exempt is an example of the authority she possesses over the townsfolk even though she is distant from them. Faulkner uses language that creates the view of Emily of an institution. As early as the stories second line, Emily is described as a "fallen monument". She is also described in paragraph three as "... a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation in the town"
             She seems to be the product of an earlier era and surrounds herself with reminders of the past. After the death of her father , his portrait is given prominence in her house, and even rests above her coffin. The image ...

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A rose for emily. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/72561.html