Tuesday, October 15, 2019
A Rose for Emily essay Essay Example for Free
A Rose for Emily essay Essay Sometimes in life, the suppression of oneââ¬â¢s ambitions combined with the fear of loneliness can lead to a clinging of the familiar. This is evident in William Faulknerââ¬â¢s short story ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠in which an emotionally unstable Emily Grierson poisons her lover, Homer Barron, to prevent him from deserting her. Because of the Griersonsââ¬â¢ high social status, the townspeople keep up with Emilyââ¬â¢s every move although she had become a recluse in the years following her oppressive fatherââ¬â¢s death. With an overall forthright tone, Faulkner creates a surprise ending by using an unconventional plot structure and conveys the dangerous extremesà one may resort to in order for love. At first glance, the ending of ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠may come as a shock due to the unchronological plot, but in hindsight there are many clues that Faulkner uses to suggest an unfortunate resolution. The surprise, of course, is the revelation of Emilyââ¬â¢s necrophilic tendency to embrace the corpse of Homer. The first ominous hint toward Emilyââ¬â¢s crime is when a ââ¬Å"smell developedâ⬠two years ââ¬Å"after her fatherââ¬â¢s death and a short time after her sweetheartâ⬠¦deserted her. â⬠This evokes a feeling of curiosity as to what could be causing such a stench in Emilyââ¬â¢s home that would attract the neighborsââ¬â¢ attention. Later, when her father died, the doctors had to ââ¬Å"[try] to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. â⬠Even though her selfish father drove away all of her suitors just so he could keep Emily as a maid, ââ¬Å"with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her. â⬠Because her father was all she had known, Emily refused to let him go even though he robbed her of any opportunity at love. Her clinging to Mr. Grierson after his death strongly foreshadows her future clinging to Homer after she murders him. The next clue involves Emilyââ¬â¢s purchasing of arsenic from a druggist. When he informs her that the law requires a reason for the purchase, ââ¬Å"Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eyeâ⬠ââ¬âdaring him to try forcing the reason from her. This suspicious action evokes a feeling of suspense as Miss Emilyââ¬â¢s intentions are still unclear but obviously harmful. Had she planned to use the arsenic only ââ¬Å"for rats,â⬠why would she withhold her reason from the druggist? One final hint is given after Emilyââ¬â¢s visiting relatives leave the town and ââ¬Å"within three days Homer Barron was back in town. â⬠He is admitted into Emilyââ¬â¢s house and the narrator remarks ââ¬Å"that was the last we saw of Homer Barron. â⬠Once more, apprehensiveness is apparent as the narratorââ¬â¢s statement is usually uttered only when a person is presumed to have died. These hints would certainly reveal the surprise prematurely had they been told in a conventional, chronological plot. If Faulkner presented them in orderââ¬âfirst Emilyââ¬â¢s clinging to Mr. Grierson after his death, her purchasing of arsenic, Homerââ¬â¢s disappearance into Emilyââ¬â¢s home, and then the acrid smell emanating from her homeââ¬âthe conclusion would be far more predictable. ` Through the use of an unchronological, unorthodox plot structure, Faulkner is able toà astound the reader with an appalling resolution. Although many ominous hints add to the suspense, the resolution remains unknown. Had the events unfolded in consecutive time, the surprise factor of the conclusion would not have been as effective. Emilyââ¬â¢s embracing of the corpse of her dead lover shows her mental instability as she resists letting go of what is familiar to her, just as she did with her father. A morbid story with an unconventional plot structure, ââ¬Å"A Rose for Emilyâ⬠provides insight into how a fear of loneliness can drastically affect oneââ¬â¢s actions and mental state.
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