James D. Panichella Composition 2 Dr. Cox House of Despair "A Rose for Emily" is the remarkable story of Emily Grierson, whose death and funeral drew the attention of the entire town. The unnamed narrator, whom some people consider as "the town" or at least a representative voice from it, relates key moments in Emily's life, including the death of her father and her brief fling with a Yankee. Beyond the literal level of Emily's narrative, the story is sometimes regarded as symbolic changes in the South after the civil war. Miss Emily's house symbols neglect in "A Rose for Emily". The story's opening with Miss Emily Grierson's death and funeral foreshadows the ending. The outcome is further emphasized by the symbolism of the decaying house, which parallels Miss Emily's physical deterioration and demonstrates her mental decline. Her life, like the decaying house, suffers from lack of genuine love and care. The characteristics of Miss Emily's house, like her physical appearance, are brought about by years of neglect. For example, the house is located in what was once a prominent neighborhood that has deteriorated. Originally white and decorated in "the heavily lightsome style" of an earlier time, the house has become "an eyesore among eyesores". Through lack of attention, the house has deteriorated from a beautiful estate, to an ugly uninviting shack. Similarly, Miss Emily has also become an eyesore. For example, she is first described as a "fallen monument" to suggest her former grandeur and her later ugliness. Like the house, she has lost her beauty. Once she had been a beautiful woman, who later became obese and bloated. Both house and occupant have suffered the ravages of time and neglect. The interior of the house also resembles Miss Emily's increasing degeneration and the growing sense of sadness that accompanies such decay. Initially, all that can be seen of the inside of the house is a
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