The Symbolism Found In: “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner In the story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner uses symbolism to represent certain aspects of the story. In this story, many of the people or objects that are being described have underlying meaning. When Faulkner describes Miss Emily’s house, he claims that, “It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavy lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street.” The house was the last one left on this now empty street. The author claims that the house was “stubborn” and “an eyesore.” Inside the house was a musky smell and a layer of dust on everything that could be seen in the dark atmosphere. This depiction of the house that Miss Emily lived in could be symbolic of her own personal appearance. Just as the house once was, Miss Emily was once a beautiful, well-kept young woman who appeared quite wealthy.
Once Miss Emily got older she began to have an appearance similar to that of the house described before. Her hair became gray and only got grayer as the years went on, she became quite obese and her face was so chubby that it almost hid her eyes, and she most often dressed in drab colors. In comparison, both the house and Miss Emily have aged over the years leaving them quite unattractive. Both the house and Emily had darkened features and her gray hair could be associated with the layers of dust throughout the house. They also could be symbolic of Miss Emily’s age. Gray hair is most often associated with signs of aging.
The Essay on “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
The tone in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner expresses a sense of curiosity and fear. The curiosity of the woman’s life and the fear of the unknown is also established with the author’s diction. The two tones even roll over to the point of view of the story (or point of views for this particular story). “A Rose for Emily” is based solely on the curiosity ...
Not many people approached the house nor did they attempt to speak to Miss Emily most likely due to their unapproachable appearance and Miss Emily’s attitude towards the townspeople. Homer Baron was Miss Emily’s love interest when she was a bit younger. He was a man who enjoyed going out drinking with other young man and he wasn’t the marrying type. So it is believed that she poisoned him with rat poison, and locked him in a room so that he wouldn’t leave her and she would always be with him. I believe that Homer signified love, family, companionship, and the life that Miss Emily had hoped for.
The rat poison that Emily used to kill Homer is symbolic of Homer himself. He could be characterized as a rat because he was going to leave Miss Emily after they had spent many intimate nights together. So, Miss Emily used rat poison to kill her “rat.” After Emily dies in the end of the story, members of the town broke into the room that nobody had ever seen before. In this room they found rose-colored curtains and rose shaded lamps, a dressing table, men’s formal clothing, and bathroom accessories all covered in a thick layer of dust.
When walking in the room, the first thought that crossed their minds was that the room looked bridal. Then the townspeople glanced over at the bed and saw a decayed man lying there. This man must have been Homer Baron. The symbolism in this room is that it portrays the life that Miss Emily wanted and the marriage that she hoped for.
The rose-colored curtains and lamps symbolize the love and happiness between the two people. Everything in her house was gray and drab, and appeared to have no color except for these two rose colored items that were in the room where she kept Homer. This portrays the love that she hoped that they would have had and the beauty of marriage. One could determine this from the part in Faulkner’s story where the townspeople found an indentation on the pillow next to the dead man, with a strand of Emily’s hair on it. The strand of hair symbolizes Miss Emily’s presence with Homer. Obviously, Miss Emily has been sleeping alongside this man, and fantasizing about their life together.
The Essay on Compare and Contrast Emily and Miss Brill
Miss Brill in Katherine Mansfield’ short story “Miss Brill” and Emily in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner exhibits interesting similarities and differences. The differences and similarities are evident in their characters. The two stories appear different but the relationship they share is very profound. The stories openly to the reader the realization of similarities and dissimilarities in ...
The title of this story, “A Rose For Emily,” also holds some symbolism. The rose could be symbolic of Emily’s life or her relationship with Homer. Roses are beautiful flowers that are sometimes preserved in order to hold on to the meaning and memories it represents. After a while, the petals will dry up and turn to dust just as Homer Baron. Emily tried to preserve her love with Homer Baron by preserving him in the room after he died, but eventually he do will turn to dust.
In conclusion, the symbolism used by Faulkner in this story ties in all of the elements from this rather choppy story. These symbols really make the read think about the different points made and place them together to make the story come together. When a reader has to really think about what they are reading, it brings a personal aspect to the story and really makes an impression on them.
