Category: A Rose For Emily

Life is an ongoing process, and in its ever-changing rhythm people have to adapt to new conditions and assume new view and attitudes. Flexible people generally succeed in following the right way in the developing course of existence, while more conservative ones find themselves stuck in the past and too outdated to be full-fledged members of contemporary society.

The necessity for moving forward and not clinging to the past was voiced already in the biblical story of Lots wife, and the topic has been actual ever since. The misery of those who are unable to accept the reality and to get free from the influence of the past is the main theme of William Faulkners short story A Rose for Emily, where the protagonist, Miss Emily Grierson, becomes a white crow and an object of both ridicule and pity due to her fanatic devotion to the ideals of the past.

The theme a person trapped in old time is developed by Faulkner through a whole set of literary devices, among which symbolic images play a substantial role. To emphasize Miss Griersons belonging to the Pre-Civil War South, Faulkner surrounds her by objects that symbolize that past. The first and foremost symbol is the house she lives in: a large mansion situated in the once most select street, it is furnished with once fashionable objects that now start to decay (Faulkner 90).

This miserable decay prompts an idea that the whole bygone splendor was not due to the owners themselves, but due to the everyday slave labor which once eliminated left the house to sink into the past. Faulkner implies bitter irony to describe the pitiful state of the Griersons mansion, the only neighbors of which are now not the estates of same grandeur but simple cotton wagons and gasoline pumps indifferent to the majestic culture of the old society (Faulkner 90).

Enhancing this museum-like state of the Griersons mansion, Faulkner introduces images and symbols of the same past into the house. Representative of the Pre-Civil War epoch is the Negro butler who had worked for the Griersons throughout his life and left only with Miss Griersons death. The influence of Miss Griersons father, who had oppressed and dominated her when he was alive, did not recede with the time, as after his death (which she stubbornly refused to admit) his crayon portrait was one of the main focal points in the parlor.

This dominance and arrogant attitude of the Griersons towards the surrounding society (they had always held themselves a little too high for what they really were ) can also be traced in the fact that Miss Griersons only suitor came from a society different than that of Jefferson and that the description of his ways quite coincides with the way the Griersons are portrayed in a picture: his hat cocked and a cigar in his teeth, reins and whip in a yellow glove (Faulkner 9394).

Miss Griersons conflict with the present unfolds itself through her interaction with the contemporary society. She demonstrates a total obsession with old-fashioned ideas and principles when she refuses to pay taxes, motivating it with permission obtained from Colonel Sartoris  a man long dead but still alive in Miss Griersons imagination (Faulkner 92).

She opposes and rejects new postal rules, refusing to put up a number and a post box on the front door of her mansion (Faulkner 94). Last but not least, she ignores the public opinion and has things her own way secretly poisoning her disloyal suitor and thus preserves the reality the way she wants to see it.

Desperately fighting for preservation of her bygone past, Mrs Emily prefers rather to murder than to die (Fetterley 57). Thus she reveals her helplessness in face of contemporary society which she can neither accept nor put up with. Her conservatism is her tragedy, since it leads to her misery and destructively influences everything and everybody that gets in Mrs Griersons way.

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing (8th ed.). Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. 9096. Print.

Fetterley, Judith. A Rose for A Rose for Emily. William Faulkner: Critical Assessments (Vol. I). Ed. Henry Claridge. East Sussex: Helm Information Ltd, 1999. 5058. Print.

William Faulkner is considered to be one of the most prolific writers and among the most influential ones for that matter in the last century in American Literature. His numerous contributions to the literary field were so immense and, as a result, he became a Nobel Laureate and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949.

His oeuvres range from novels to short stories and poems, and he has created a permanent spot in the history of American literature. A Rose for Emily is regarded as one of the most outstanding and the most controversial pieces of work. This story is full of captivating details which can make a short story really interesting for the reader and for the critics.

On the one hand, the vast majority of critics admit that it is not a true style that was preferred by William Faulkner. On the other hand, it is always interesting to develop various experiments and intrigue the audience with extremely captivating ideas. In fact, William Faulkner made a successful attempt to impress the reader: his A Rose for Emily is a unique collection of ideas and themes which are always interesting to read and evaluate.

In spite of the fact that a number of negative opinions were developed around the story, even negative criticism attracted peoples attention and prove how mature the writer could be in the chosen style. Some critics defined A Rose for Emily as a kind of exploitative story not inherent to Faulkner, still, they talked about it and made the author recognizable. People said that even really talented writers could become famous and gain desirable respect and recognition only after their deaths.

William Faulkner proved that popularity had a variety of sides, and he chose the one that made his famous during his life, and immortal after his death. A Rose for Emily is the story that is characterized by numerous critical opinions: readers found the story interesting, unusual, and educative; and critics tried to admit as many negative or weak points as possible and prove that the chosen style, relations between the characters, and even frequent use of flashbacks were not winning enough to introduce the most amazing work ever.

William Faulkner usually chose some unpredictable development of the events in order to impress the reader and in order to make critics notice his work. Some critics admit that this story was full of historys unwillingness to advance, evolve, or progress (Aboul-Ela 18). During his life, Faulkner was able to get a number of various opinions and attitudes to his work, still, he was always confident of his abilities and writing style.

In general, the criticism that was developed during the time when the author was alive had more negative than positive nature, and it was hard to recognize a true interpretation of a story and unclear narration offered. So that the critical cannon of A Rose for Emily has become as bloated as the character herself (Farnoli, Golay, and Hamblin 243).

There were many different themes which have been criticized, and critics found it rather interesting to discover weak and strong points of the story: flashbacks which helped to understand that aunt Emily was & a little different (Faulkner and Robinette 10) seemed to be weak enough to explain the essence of the authors message and the method of characterization seemed to be more strange.

Much attention was paid to the relations between Emily and her father which lead to the tragic end of the relations with Homer. It is always interesting to define who should be blamed for a human death, womens tears, and pain that may be spread over many people around.

In fact, with the help of a critical overview, it was possible for the reader to comprehend a true genre of the shot story, and it was not a horror story but an educative lesson that proved ho blind people with their assumptions could be.

In spite of the fact that Faulkner was known during his life and a number of his works had been already recognized, not all readers were able to accept his new decision to introduce horrors. And some reader accepted A Rose for Emily not as a ghost story at all but rather a story of a woman with a domineering father who grows old and dies in the small& town (Marius and Anderson 5).

In my opinion, this particular story by William Faulkner is characterized by the opinions which could be hardly differentiated before and after his death. There are many supporters and opponents of his talent as they were during his life. It is not very difficult to define some powerful aspects of the story like an amazing flashback at the end of the story when Homer was discovered on Emilys bed. This idea proved that the power of a woman is worth attention and recognition. Even now the relations between women and men are not similar to each other, and each story may have its own end either dramatic or happy.

This is why there are so many reasons to respect the achievements of the author and his ideas which are expressed through the story. A Rose for Emily seemed to be an immortal calling by Faulkner with the help of which he reminds the readers that each type of relations without considering whether it is developed at early times (like it was with Emilys father) or when a person grows up (the relations with Homer) has its own consequences and may influence a lot of aspects which are so crucial for a human life.

The work was first published in 1930 in a copy of Forum, a magazine (Reuben). It was easily one of those short stories that featured most in many collections of short stories. It was a work that was not easy to interpret. This is why so many possible and plausible interpretations appeared within a short period of time. The story was popular at the time of its publication. A Rose for Emily is by far the best-known, most reprinted, most widely read, and most discussed short story (Towner and Carothers 63).

In general, the story A Rose for Emily introduced by William Faulkner at the beginning of the 20^th century is a perfect lesson for people who live in modern world. Very often people are blind because of the opportunities offered and cannot define their own weaknesses. On the one hand, it is a terrible truth that has to be admitted and cannot be understood. And on the other hand, A Rose for Emily becomes more amazing and educative story that fulfils this life and helps to discover the essence of the life.

Works Cited

Aboul-Ela, Hosam. Other South: Faulkner, Coloniality, and the Mariategui Tradition. Pittsburg: University of Pittsburg Press, 2007. Print.

Fargnoli, Nicholas, Golay, Michael, and Hamblin, Robet. Critical Companion to William Faulkner: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print.

Faulkner, William and Robinette, Joseph. A Rose for Emily. Woodstock, IL: Dramatic Publishing, 1983. Print.

Marius, Richard and Anderson, Nancy. Reading Faulkner: Introductions to the First Thirteen Novels. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 2006. Print.

Reuben, Paul P. Chapter 7: William Faulkner. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. 2010. Web.

Towner, Theresa and Carothers, James. Reading Faulkner: Glossary and Commentary. Collected Stories. Mississippi: The University of Mississippi Press, 2006. Print.

Stylistic devices and themes can play the major role of a cornerstone upon which any literary work can be built on. This can help bring out the beauty that keeps the readers glued to the text and be the captivating component that puts the readers intellect on toes.

As shown by William Faulkner in his interesting short story A Rose for Emily, Faulkner greatly builds so many stylistic devices among them symbolism, imagery and even allegory to communicate his message to his readers. On the other hand he builds greatly on the theme of death and its impact on the main character Miss Emily Grierson (Faulkner 3). Just but to mention on point of narration, it is evident that it is not all about Emily but the whole town and its inhabitants.

One of the stylistic devices employed by Faulkner in the story A Rose for Emily is the use of the third person plural point of view of course through hearsay. The narrators use only the first person plurals our and we. The identity of the narrators can therefore be thought to be the average towns people narrating the story in unison; all the accounts of the story are given from not an individual but rather a group.

For instance at the beginning of the story, the first sentence in the first paragraph says, When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to the funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old manservant  a combined gardener and cook  had seen in at least ten years (Faulkner 1).

This therefore signifies that Miss Emily was being watched by all the people and that most of her activities were being monitored by the towns people.

Another stylistic device that is seen widely used in the story A Rose for Emily by Faulkner is symbolism among which is the position taken by Emilys house in the story. There is more to it than meets the eye, because it is not just like any other four walled structure but all that goes on in there and the many evils that it shields from the people around the small town.

The towns people see it as an eyesore because &it has been dilapidated and that new buildings had come up leaving it lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps  an eyesore among eyesores (Faulkner 12.)

This can be thought to signify how awkward it can be at times to close ones doors towards change and cling on to the old traditional activities ignoring the wind of change that sweeps across the world each passing day. It also symbolizes that a persons outward character may be totally different from who he surely is in the inside. Her house could be seen from outside but the evils there in were best known to Emily until her death when they were opened to all and sundry.

The thematic concern brought out by Faulkner throughout the story is that of death, loss and isolation. There are the incidents of death starting with that of Emilys father, Emilys lover Homer and even Emily herself. When a person dies, it is thought that that persons life comes to an end and ceases to exist physically, but emotionally the dead person remains in the lives of those living, therefore letting go.

On the contrary, Faulkner paints Miss Emily as one who emotionally and physically cannot be disentangled from her father and lover even at death (Faulkner 3), that is why she does not want to let off the bodies of the dead father and lover. Death therefore looms all through the story courtesy of the evilness of Emily.

One can therefore attribute Faulkner as a literary hero having applied the technicalities of literary devices in his work in the short story A Rose for Emily. The use of themes, and stylistic features used by Faulkner are of course useful in building the plot of the story all the way up to its climax. The point of narration as well as symbolism as a stylistic feature and the theme of death have helped in showing how beautiful and interesting a piece of fictional work can be when well structured and built (Meyers 48)

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. London. Language Publication. 2009. Pp. 1  72.

Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. New York. St. Martins. 2010. 9^th Edition. pp 48  520.

The stories under analysis are considered to be masterpieces of 20^th century literature, though both of them are very special. So the aim of this essay is to compare the themes and writing styles of the works by Sandra Cisneros and William Faulkner.

What makes this stories alike is that they are about the inability of love and compassion to reach those to whom it is proffered (Abcarian, 2005, 152). The House on Mango Street and A Rose for Emily are about tragic womens fate. The main characters of the stories, though absolutely different in their ages, appearances and lifestyles, failed to find love and understanding in their lives. This lack of understanding makes both Esperanza and Emily live in the worlds of their own.

The techniques of the authors are very different from conventional, and this is the feature that unites them.

The House on Mango Street is a work of fiction, but the author breaks the conventional rules of form and plot. It composes a series of vignettes, each of which is a descriptive scene or a sketch. A vignette cannot be called a story because it doesnt have a distinct plot. In these scenes the character is important. When these vignettes come together, the life of a young girl is revealed.

The reader gets to know about Esperanza, the main character and the narrator, and about her cultural surroundings.

The House on mango Street covers a period of one year in a life of a twelve year old girl. The house she and her family live in is situated in the centre of a Latino neighborhood. There are many poor areas in the city; most of them are racially segregated. The novel describes how Esperanza grows physically and emotionally. There are also scenes depicting the life of her neighbors.

In the city Esperanza soon makes friends with Sally, who uses boys in her attempt escape from her evil father. Mainly because of this friendship Esperanza is eventually assaulted by local boys. The story is filled with the girls traumatic experiences. The observations of the other women in the neighborhood add up to the feeling of disillusionment.

The plot of the next story is tragic too. The reader is invited to Miss Emilys strange and frightening world.

A Rose for Emily tells the reader one of many stories which take part in the fictional county seat Jefferson which is situated in Mississippi. This place is a critical setting in many of Faulkners works. Though the work is not big in volume, many themes are revealed in it, such as relations between North and South, the nature of time, tragedy of spinsters.

As opposed to The House on Mango Street, the third-person narration is used. The reader knows neither his /her name nor his /her age. The narrative point of view and intricately complex chronology make the story unique. The narrator uses the word we, which creates a feeling that he is speaking for the whole town. This technique suggests the idea of a gossipy nature of a town, where everyone knows everyone.

The plot is rather simple but scary. Emily Grierson, an eccentric spinster, has odd relationships with her lover, a Yankee, Homer Barron, and her father. After Homer disappears from the city, everybody thinks that he has returned north. Emily seldom leaves her house. In the end of the story the reader understands what the cause of the dreadful stench which emitted from her house was. She had been sleeping with her lovers corps for 40 years.

Faulkner masterly experiments with time, the narration shifts from the very end of the story, the funeral, back to the past.

In conclusion I would like to say that these authors use very special literary devices which make their styles unique. Cisneros and Faulkner masterly penetrate into the psychics of their characters. Their women struggle to reach love in unresponsive world. Though their ways to do it are absolutely different, neither of them finds understanding and sympathy.

References

Abcarian, R. & Klotz, M. (2005). Literature: The Human Experience (9^th ed.). Bedford/St.Martins.

The embodiment of womens character is widely used in the works of outstanding authors. They describe in detail all the female sufferings and struggle, persistence, and resistance to the negative environmental factors connected with social inequality and prejudices against weak gender. To illustrate these facts one can analyze such books as Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner.

Zora Neale Hurston is known as a short story writer and the author of the masterpiece called Sweet. This story tells about Afro-American woman Delia Jones who was constantly struggling against society and her husband. This story is rich in moral and religious symbolic features. The events take place in Deep South; they closely interact with a womans belief in God, her trust in her inner voice, and her hope for the careless future. The symbolic characteristic of Delia Jones and her husband Sykes shows that they are two completely opposite people with different moral values. The protagonist of the story is a very hard-working, intelligent, and strong-willed woman with her own view of life, unique lively faith, and saintly virtue. To describe her husband means to show the opposite character. Sykes is presented as a physically strong man, who had never believed in anything and provided his wife with no support.

The symbolism of religious characters is widely presented in this story. All the things mentioned in this story are symbolic in a way. The white dress of Delia is described to show the inner character and soul of the woman. The presence of religious mood influences the behavior of Delia Jones. Only her faith helps in overcoming all the difficulties of life with Sykes Jones, to contradict him and struggle with his interests. He seems to be the embodiment of evil; his symbolic character is shown by the description of the snake. The author tried to compare him with this creature; the interior of the snake completely coincides with Sykes, who always tried to frighten his wife and hurt her. The contradiction of good and evil is provided by the description of the main story characters. The symbolic nature ends the story with the sunrise. By this, the author stated the victory of the good and saint character of Delia Jones. Sykes death brings relaxation and the feeling of a happy and troubled future.

The related topic is raised in A Rose for Emily, written by William Faulkner. The protagonist of this work is Emily Grierson who devoted her present life to the past and lived only by memories. The theme of the story is to present the character of a lady and her behavior in society, her actions, and justifications for them. She is an offender because she killed Homer Barron; it is difficult to explain the motive simply because no one knew the mysterious character of the so-called lady. She acts against the rules of society, she just rejects them and strives for satisfying her needs and interests. Emily refuses to pay taxes as it was of no importance, she does not want to be abandoned by Homer Barron and the only way out she finds is to kill him in order to save their relations and feelings. The author managed to symbolize the strong-willingness and persistence of the female character. The role Emily played in her life was the figure of a modern lady who never considered public opinion and acted according to her own will. The symbol of the rose is embodied in Emily who likes this wonderful and innocent flower should struggle with society in order to be protected from the changing environment.

Both the authors managed to cover the same theme of providing strong features to a weak person. Delia and Emily wanted just to prove to the public that they also have the right to live a full life without any limitations. They were strong enough to stand their ground and act in a way they consider to be appropriate. The description of brave women in society shows the results of social development. Nowadays women are not to struggle in order to be realized and heard by the surrounding people. The authors reflected successfully the sufferings and difficult fate of Afro-American women and managed to represent their victory among unfairness and prejudices.

References

Gwynn, R. S. A pocket Anthology (Penguin academic series), New York, 2004.

While Lorraine Hanisberrys play A Raisin in the Sun is considered as being much ahead of its times in terms of depiction of black peoples daily life and the repression that they have to undergo at a time when considerable developments have taken place in the direction of giving them their due civil rights, A Rose for Emily is a short story written by William Faulkner about Emily, an old woman who lived in the small town of Jefferson. Faulkner has depicted several themes in A Rose for Emily but the most significant is that of decay which is evident in the entire story. This essay will analyze the two works and compare and contrast them in the context of what messages they have conveyed to people and society, and what issues they have highlighted in the viewpoint of the two authors.

The aims of the play A Raisin in the Sun were shared by Hansberry with her husband in telling him that she desired to create a description by way of a social drama, of the lifestyle of Americans Africans, and in doing so she created an imaginary set up that appeared to be agonizingly real at times. The plot of the story centers on the way her characters go about doing things in trying to escape from their restricted surroundings. It is also known that a major part of the play bears some resemblance to the personal life experiences of Hansberry. Conversely, the story A Rose for Emily is written in the typical Faulkner style of flowing awareness and perceptions. The story primarily illustrates the theme of decaying which is demonstrated in the manner in which the town, Emilys house, and Ms. Emily herself become decomposed over the years and decades. They no longer represent the pleasure and happiness one received when associated with them when Emily was young.

The story, A Rose for Emily is set in the early years of the 20^th century and is narrated by an unidentified person who resides in the same town. The reader learns about Emilys death in the beginning and about how she used to live in the town as a young lady with her father and lover. However, the end of the story depicts the disconcerting fact that Emily is not dead and was all along in hiding. In contrast, A Raisin in the Sun is about a family and reveals to the reader the kind of life lived in tenement houses in bigger cities. The play depicts the struggle that the characters undergo in attempting to find a better future for their children.

The characters in A Raisin in the Sun are real in the sense that the reader can have a feel of a mothers love for her family and for her children to succeed in life. The other characters can be perceived in terms of their aspirations. Ruth wants that her daughter Beneatha should become a doctor and aims at providing her with all facilities to achieve this end but Beneatha is frustrated with the traditional beliefs and ideas of her mother. Beneatha is not happy with the traditional marriage that her brother went through. Her character displays a high sense of dependence on dreams that should be fulfilled to make her feel contented. Walter is portrayed as an angry man who does not appear to get anywhere with such an attitude. The silver lining in the play is revealed at the end when the family wins against all the daunting tasks faced by them. The play reveals the strong willpower of the family in being unwilling to swallow their pride in the face of several difficulties and at the behest of Lindner who wants them to leave the white neighborhood. This is although in the prevailing circumstances there is the likelihood of the family suffering from more distinct acts of discrimination. The characters as created by Hansberry speak and behave in the typical and original dialect of Chicago neighborhoods. The author has also used a nonstandard dialect that would typically be used by black people.

The hardships and struggles of the African Americans can be easily seen upon reading the play. The author has given a deep insight into the struggle for civil rights by the African Americans and the struggle of their younger generation in this regard is equally perceived at times when they face discrimination. Books and Writers (2008) have cited a speech that the author gave in 1959 whereby she said, The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer predictable as they were in my fathers time  they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever (Books and Writers, 2008).

Although the play A Raisin in the Sun is about the American Blacks it also deals with a common theme about the failure of the American dream which can be related to by anyone under the given circumstances. According to Gerald Weales, Walter Lees difficulty&.. is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intendeda play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play (EPA, 2009).

Hansberry aptly argues about the inherent discrimination that is present in the Chicago housing market and other big cities whereby houses in black neighborhoods are almost double the prices as compared to white neighborhoods. Although the Younger family can fulfill its dream of leaving their run-down apartment and purchase a house in a white neighborhood, their happiness is not for long since Mr. Lindner comes up and attempts to pressurize the family to leave. The family fights back against the proposals and pressure exerted by Mr. Lindner but has to ultimately leave after Walter loses the entire money. The family decides to work harder by taking extra jobs so that the children have a better life and a brighter future (Julie, 2007).

A Rose for Emily depicts a different story about the society in Jefferson and how time can lead to the gradual decay of a town and of the way people are perceived over time. As the story progresses and Emily grows up, the town of Jefferson is also growing old. The street on which Emily lived while she was young was considered to be the best during that time but now it is in bad shape and is most awful and unpleasant for residents to refer to in any manner. It appears that with Emily the street has become aged and corroded. While Emily was young, she and her family drew a lot of respect and they were amongst the most respected and valued residents of the town. As Emily grew older she was gradually perceived differently by people in Jefferson. As an old lady, she was viewed in the same manner as her old house came to be viewed. The entire respect earned by her father was over after the older men and women died and gradually the old charisma of Jefferson began to fade away.

Emilys house was once considered to be one of the most exquisite in the entire town of Jefferson. The house was very well maintained while Emily was young and as she grew older so did her house in eventually becoming a blemish for the town of Jefferson. Its faded paint and messy yard gave a bleak picture of a bygone era when the same house was considered to be a landmark home and center of attraction. Faulkner has given a meaningful account of how the house and Emily were directly associated in terms of both growing old and losing their splendor. Both Emily and her house began to be gradually looked upon as monuments of the past. A Rose for Emily deals with the influence that time has had over the status of people and about the way people are perceived differently. The story is a clear example of a lady and her family that had a virtual aristocratic lifestyle and how over time the circumstances are changed. The author depicts that this happens if people do not consistently maintain their humility and humanity. Emily was a beautiful girl when young and enjoyed a high status but by the time she grew old she had lost so much in terms of personal charm and happiness.

Emily was considered to be one of the most gorgeous women in Jefferson when she was young. Her father was a powerful man and young men were scared to approach her in attempting to court her. But as she grew older Emily started losing her good looks and in old age became grey-haired and plump. It was also believed that her thoughts had decayed. She had a lover named Homer Barron who people thought had left her but it is made known only at the end of the story that he had been poisoned by Emily. His body had been left by Emily in her bedroom. By the time she became old her mind had corroded to the extent that she killed the man who loved her. It appeared she was not aware of what was right or wrong, nor could she understand if something was normal. Her mental state indicated why her house had decayed to such an extent.

Although Faulkner has several themes in A Rose for Emily, decay is a major theme depicted in the entire story. With Emily, her house, and the town of Jefferson, all appear to be growing old and decaying over time. Miss Emily loses her beauty and her senses; the house loses its exquisite beauty and the town of Jefferson changes and grows old. The author has conveyed how a beautiful southern town decays over time and how a beautiful lady loses her mental aptitude and balance, all in conveying that eventually all humans grow old and decay if values are not maintained and care is not taken of mind, body, and soul, as also of material things such as houses and other personal possessions (Bernardo, 2009).

While comparing and contrasting the two pieces of literature one is bound to find a lot of differences between the two in terms of the issues that they deal with. A Raisin in the Sun deals with issues of race, exploitation of American Blacks, and the repression that they have to go through in attempts to improve their circumstances and to make a better life for themselves and their coming generations. The play traces the gradual development of art and intellectualism amongst Blacks which is aptly narrated by Schmoop:

A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals (Schmoop, 2009).

Indeed, Hansberry has depicted the struggles of a single-family which is Black American. Most of the themes in the play convey love in the family, rivalry amongst siblings, desiring the best for children, and aiming to earn more and to have more material things. Colour is used as a theme in portraying the concerns of black people and the difficulties they face in being exploited repeatedly in their daily life and in most things that they attempt to achieve in life. A Raisin in the Sun is remarkable in that it is seen as being simplistic in addition to providing the reader with the extent to which the African Americans respond to the exploitation that still appears to be happening. The play represents different emotions of different age groups of Black Americans in giving an in-depth view of the issues being faced by them.

Contrastingly, in his story, Faulkner presents the viewpoints of an unknown resident of Jefferson where the family of Ms. Emily was a living example of the true aristocracy. The author has presented the reader with powerful arguments in stating that privileges can at times prove to become prisons. The story depicts the superficiality in what people perceive amongst children growing up in the lap of luxury. Miss Emilys younger days were lonely since her life was controlled strictly by her father and he turned away all her suitors. Years of suppression gave way to freedom after Emilys father died and she immediately found a boyfriend named Homer Barron who was a Yankee day laborer and not very well off. She drove around the town with him and bought expensive gifts for him. However, in due course, she discovered that he was gay and could not tolerate the frustration. She dared to buy arsenic from the chemist and poisoned him in her own house and left his body to decompose. People in the town did not realize that after she purchased arsenic, her lover was nowhere to be seen. Nor could the residents of Jefferson connect the foul smell that came from Emilys house. The murder was never spoken about by the people of Jefferson and it was officially known forty years later when Emily died. The people of the town were moved to see the skeletal remains of Homer on Emilys bed with her grey hair lying close to his head on the pillow. The story is a stark revelation of tragedies that occur in society as a result of observance of social norms that largely restrict than liberate our conscience and our inner self.

Reference List

Bernardo Karen, (2009). William Faulkners A Rose For Emily.

Books and Writers, (2009). Lorraine Hansberry (1930  1965).

EPA, (2009). Hansberry Lorraine.

Julie E, (2007). Analyzing A Raisin in the Sun, Associated Content.

Schmoop, (2009). A Raisin in the Sun: in a Nutshell.

Introduction

When examining the character of Ms. Emily from the story A Rose for Emily and the Arab from the story The Guest their divergent characteristics and origins would normally result in little if any consideration being given for finding similarities between the two.

Despite this assumption, the two characters are remarkably similar since they are both victims of the loss of their individual freedoms. In order to prove this point this paper will first examine the character of Ms. Emily and will point out the various facets of the character that are indicative of a loss of freedom.

After such an examination, a comparison will be done with the character of the Arab with the climax of the examination of the character culminating in the scene involving the 1,000 francs and the decision to escape to freedom or go to jail.

It is expected that by the end of this examination the similarity between the two characters will be revealed. It is the assumption of this paper that the concept of honor, pride and the perception of society can be similar to a prison of iron bars and stone walls.

Examination of Ms. Emily

Ms. Emilys loss of freedom can be characterized by her pride, her heritage and the image of being the last of the Griersons within their town as being aspects of her as a person. As it can be seen within the story, Ms. Emily can be described as aloof, prideful, haughty and considering herself far above others within the town.

Evidence of this can be seen from the following quote from the story: the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were (A Rose for Emily, 545). Such an attitude alienated her from making friends with the other women within the town.

Not only that, it eliminated the possibility of suitors from successfully wooing her as seen from the quote: none of the young men were good enough for Miss Emily (A Rose for Emily, 545).

Even when her fathers death left her nothing but the house she lived in she still continued to maintain the attitude of superiority that isolated her from others within her area.

Based on the ending of the book, where it was shown that Ms. Emily had actually killed her suitor to keep him with her, it can be seen that she was a person that was desperate for love and companionship.

In the end, she let her pride and the perception of the people around her act as a prison against being able to gain the love and affection she desperately craved. Evidence of this can be seen in this part of the story: the body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace (A Rose for Emily, 550).

When reading this part of the story it becomes immediately obvious that Ms. Emily continued to lie with this corpse even till her dying days. This was due to the way in which she let her pride and her arrogance prevent those she considered inferior from associating with her which in the end left her alone and depressed.

This can actually be considered one of the themes of the story A Rose for Emily where the author attempts to show the effects of letting ones pride and the perception of others dictate your actions.

It must also be noted that the setting itself was during the era after the civil war wherein the perception of others played a crucial role in societal interaction this can be seen from the following part of the story: the day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid as is our custom (A Rose for Emily, 545).

Examination of the Arab

In the story, The Guest, we are introduced to a situation where the character of Daru is tasked to take the Arab prisoner to Tinguit in order to be judged for the crime of slitting his cousins throat.

Despite the obvious dangers that such a man presented, Daru treated him kindly, fed him, spoke to him and in the end gave him the opportunity to flee instead of being judged for a crime.

Despite being presented with the opportunity to escape with 1,000 francs, the Arab chose instead to go to jail. Before proceeding, what you must understand is that the concept of freedom is a pervading theme within the novel wherein the author shows that a persons ability to choose a particular action actually gives value to their life.

Despite being given the option to flee to safety, he still chose to go to Tinguit and possibly to his death. The reason behind this is actually similar to what can be seen in the case of Ms. Emily involving pride, honor and the perception of others towards them.

What you have to understand is that the actions of the Arab are inherently connected to the way he was treated by Daru. First examine the following section from the story: &.are you hungry? Yes, the prisoner said. Why do you eat with me? Im hungry (The Guest, 6-7).

As it can be seen from this snippet of their conversation, he was treated kindly and with respect instead of with disdain and annoyance as seen in the case of Balducci. This creates a certain degree of indebtedness on the part of the Arab which is expressed through his conversations with Daru and the fact that he could have escaped during the night but did not.

Secondly, he was given a choice instead of merely being taken to Tinguit as seen from the following quote You have a two-hour walk. At Tinguit, youll find the administration and the police. They are expecting you (The Guest, 10).

In this instance, Daru solidifies the removal of the Arabs freedom by entailing that he views the Arab as being trustworthy enough to make his own decision.

While in a literal interpretation of the story it can be interpreted that Daru was trying to give the man his freedom, in actuality his kindness, generosity and general attitude towards the Arab made it so that the Arab lost his freedom to choose.

He could not go against his honor of just escaping since he was being trusted to go to Tinguit by himself. His pride also demanded that he fulfill such a request since he was being treated as a human being instead of an animal.

Lastly, he valued the perception of the doctor towards him and as such he willingly walked to his possible death despite the fact that an alternative solution presented itself. This is evidenced by this particular part of the story: the Arab again stood framed in the doorway, closed the door carefully, and came back to bed without a sound(The Guest, 8).

As it can be seen, the Arab had the opportunity to escape but did not. This is indicative of the chains of honor and trust that were already set that prevented him from escaping. That is why at the end of the story the message you have turned in our brother, you will pay (The Guest, 11) appeared despite the fact that Daru had given the man the opportunity to set himself free.

The fact is that his actions of actually helping the character wound up creating the same social situation seen in the case of Ms. Emily wherein the character felt as if she had to uphold the image that was being fostered upon them.

As such, even if Daru seemed as if he had given the man his freedom it could be considered just the same as dragging him to Tinguit due to the consequences of his actions.

Conclusion

It is based on this that it can be stated that the concept of honor, pride and the perception of society can be similar to a prison of iron bars and stone walls.

Such aspects can restrict the freedom of choice resulting in people fostering an image, attitude and behavior that they may not necessarily want to portray but in the end have no choice but to display.

In a way, Albert Camus and William Faulkner in their individual stories involving Ms. Emily and the Arab have treated their characters similarly by showing how freedoms can be taken away simply by the act of thinking and perception.

The society plays a big role in ensuring all human beings have access to basic needs regardless of their social and economic status. The author of A Rose for Emily managed to portray this through the Townspeople who dedicated their resources to ensure Emily has access to a hygienic environment.

Love is evident in their commitment to exempt her from paying taxes and other levies due to the fact that she is poor and can not afford money for such payments. This essay discusses the character of the Townspeople with regard to the development of the themes and plot of the story.

From the outset it should be noted that the Townspeople have big hearts that allow them to help each other in times of disasters. The first scene of the story is about Emilys funeral that is described as filled to capacity. This shows their commitment to helping their members in times of tragedies. It should be noted that human beings are social animals and can not live in isolation.

This forces the Townspeople to leave their daily activities and attend Emilys funeral (Wheeler 34). Even though most people living in urban areas are usually busy and can not leave work to attend social functions, the people in the story dedicated this day to show their respect to one of their members.

In addition, it is not usual for a common beggars funeral to be filled to capacity but this was an exception as crowds filled her compound during her burial ceremony. This shows solidarity and unity among the Townspeople. However, these people have weird perceptions and motives that motivate them to attend Emilys burial (Sharma 33).

We are told that men in particular adored her and viewed her as a symbol of a fallen hero. They admired her beauty before the death of her father and it is probable that most of them would have asked for her hand in marriage. In addition, women attended her funeral due to their curiosity that drove them to want to know what happened to her all these time she had resorted to live a solitary life.

When Emilys father died and left her with no penny except for the old house the community decided to exempt her from paying taxes (Schmoop 78). In addition, they visited her regularly to help repair her house and do some cleaning on her compound. This is a brave act of concern and love for one another.

However, their philanthropy ends with the new generation of the Townspeople who demand that she pays taxes just like any other person. This indicates the effects of modernization that threatens to tear the love and sacrifices that human beings have towards their neighbors. It is evident that the local administration represents the modern generations that are clouded by material things and do not value human life (Faulkner 41).

The new mayor orders his men to go and demand that Emily pays taxes like other people. These effects are felt further when Homer Barron befriended Emily and they had predicted that the two were going to get married.

Even though some people are happy that Emily will have a companion many prophesize doom over that relationship. They think Homer is gay due to his drinking habit with young men and that he is from a rich family and can not marry a girl from a poor family.

Conclusion

This story captures all the intricate details of modern life that threatens the existence of love and compassion among members in any given society. It depicts how modernization controls important aspects of human life like love and concern for each other. It is one of the best approaches as to how tradition is being eroded by modern lifestyles that ignore the morals and relationships of human beings.

Works Cited

Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily (A Tale Blazer). Logan: Perfection Learning, 1990. Print.

Schmoop. A Rose for Emily: Schmoop Study Guide. New York: Schmoop University Press, 2009. Print.

Sharma, Raja. A Rose for Emily: Complete Summary and Analysis. Raleigh: Lulu Publishers, 2010. Print.

Wheeler, David. A Rose for Emily William Faulkner: A Critical Analysis. New York: Dogs Tail Books, 2011. Print.

Dear Sir, I am writing to you about the short story that might be published in the upcoming issue. In particular, I would like to speak about William Faulkners A Rose for Emily since it can appeal to many well-educated readers who buy our magazine. It has been selected among others for several reasons. First of all, the author enables the readers to feel the atmosphere of the American South after the end of the Civil War.

By describing a fictional Yoknapatawpha County, William Faulkner recreates various aspects of American life. The time of the action is not specified by the author, but one can deduce that people live at the end of the nineteenth century. This is one of the details that can be singled out.

William Faulkner examines the.tensions between Southerners and Northerners by showing the peoples prejudices against Homer Barron. In my view, the readers may be willing to learn more about this issue. So, this short story can be important for understanding the culture of the United States as well as possible tensions within the society.

Moreover, it is important to mention that the writer creates a very interesting plot. For instance, the author creates a non-linear narrative which portrays the life of the main character Emily Grierson during different periods. In this way, the writer shows how the personality of Emily Grierson evolves. The writer subtly describes the events and factors which could have shaped her behavior.

This approach to writing can appeal to many readers. Moreover, William Faulkner adds a shocking ending to his short story, and it will produce a profound impression on the readers. To some degree, this short story has the elements of a thriller, and the plot is very engaging. This is another reason why this literary work can be published in the upcoming issue of our magazine.

This short story is also interesting because it portrays the struggles of a person who does not to accept the changes in external environment. For instance, he does not want to admit that she no longer lives in the antebellum South. William Faulkner gives a powerful psychological portrayal of this individual and seamlessly incorporates it into the plot. In my view, this goal cannot be easily achieved by many writers.

This is one of the main details that can be identified. I was astounded with the way in which the writer characterizes the main characters by using only several phrases. In my opinion, other readers may also find this writing style very enjoyable since it prompts a person to use his/her imagination while thinking about the protagonist or secondary characters.

Additionally, the authors work can be viewed as a great example of Southern Gothic. William Faulkner relies on grotesque images that enhance the sense of mystery. For instance, the readers do not know what is hidden in the house of Emily Grierson. Moreover, the personality of the protagonist remains unknown to the reader until the very end of the narrative.

Nevertheless, this short story can be seen as a great example of realist literature since William Faulkner meticulously describes the life of a Southern American town. One can understand the challenges that this people encountered or the way in which they could perceive the world.

This is one of the things that may attract the attention of readers since the ability to combine realistic and Gothic literature is not very widespread nowadays. This quality can distinguish William Faulkner among other writers. This is one the main aspects that can be identified.

Apart from that, I was impressed with the authors approach to narration. William Faulkners novella is told by the collective voice of the town. The author uses the personal pronoun we and the readers do not know to what extent he/she is familiar with the main characters. One cannot determine whether the collective voice is omniscient or not.

This narrator makes the story much more arresting because readers do not know how the narrative will evolve or what kind of decisions the characters can take. This is another reason why I selected this novella among short stories that were submitted for publication.

In my view, this short story can be of great interest to people who read our magazine. It has two elements that you value. In particular, I can speak interesting plot and the presence of many thought-provoking details that the readers will like. I do hope that this text can be included into the upcoming issue of our magazine. Certainly, there may be other short stories that are also worth attention.

Their literary merits cannot be disregarded. Nevertheless, I believe that this novella combines the best qualities that are valued by the audience of our magazine. This is why it can be incorporated in the following issue of the magazine. So, hopefully, you will consider this short story. In my opinion, the readers will not be disappointed.

Basingers Quotations

In her analysis, Basinger actively refers to the original text, emphasizing the lines necessary for her position. At the same time, she mainly uses direct quotations, inserting whole blocks of descriptive quotations into her text. The size of these inserts differs depending on the length of the description but does not exceed a few lines, unlike references to works by other authors (Basinger, 2019). Such an approach is one of the most effective in this context and allows for proving the position taken by a literary analyst. To argue about how the author portrays the characters and their gender roles, it is necessary to conduct a deep analysis of the descriptions. In this case, paraphrasing cannot be used since it is necessary to refer to specific words. However, to facilitate the understanding of the text, she could give larger-scale quotations containing specific descriptions and the context of the situation.

Suggested Quotations

She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. (Faulkner, 2019, p. 852).

This quote is a continuation of one of the descriptions already used by Basinger. This passage refers to the same situation in which the new administration came to Miss Emily to ask her to pay her taxes.

The connection between the position defended by Basinger and the quote lies in the way the author neutrally describes a woman: shapeless, without any prominent male or female features. In addition, she appeared somewhat dead, which makes her gender role even more blurred and inaccurate.

We had long thought of them as a tableau, Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip (Faulkner, 2019, p. 854).

This quote reflects the symbolic perception of Miss Emily and her father by the citys inhabitants. These words demonstrate the townspeoples attitude and the image that they have of a relatively famous family.

This piece of text can be used as an argument that, despite the lack of any evidence, the townspeople assigned Miss Emily a clear gender role of a woman standing in the shadow of a man.

Now and then, we would see her in one of the downstairs windowsshe had evidently shut up the top floor of the houselike the carven torso of an idol in a niche, looking or not looking at us, we could never tell which (Faulkner, 2019, p. 858).

This fragment refers to the description of the last days of Miss Emilys life and how she looked to the residents from the outside.

This quote can be used to emphasize how detached from the human essence and, accordingly, the gender of Miss Emily is reflected by the author. The more she ages, the less Faulkner distinguishes her gender characteristics, despite all the prejudices of the townspeople.

References

Basinger, B. (2019). Tension, contradiction, and ambiguity: Gender roles in A rose for Emily. In R. Bullock & M.D. Goggin (Eds.), The Norton field guide to writings with readings (5th ed., pp. 838-843). W.W. Norton.

Faulkner, W. (2019). A rose for Emily. In R. Bullock & M.D. Goggin (Eds.), The Norton field guide to writings with readings (5th ed., pp. 851-860). W.W. Norton.