Faulkner on the Basis of the Characters in A Rose for Emily - Book Report/Review Example

Faulkner on the basis of the characters in A Rose for Emily "A Rose for Emily" (1930), one of the most celebrated short stories by the American literary genius, has a pertinent significance as a character analysis of the story throws ample lights on the life of the author. This widely acclaimed story which takes place in Jefferson, Faulkner's fictional city, is noted for its characterization, and it is possible to diagnose Faulkner on the basis of the characters in "A Rose for Emily." Therefore, the short story has special meanings William Faulkner with regard to the behavior of the men versus the women, and the odd behavior of Emily regarding the deaths of her father and Homer suggests some of the essential elements about characterization. The protagonist of the short story, Miss Emily Grierson, "is certainly strange by any average reader's standards and a character analysis of Emily could go in any number of directions. It is nearly impossible not to examine her in a psychological as well as contextual light." (Wright) As the story progresses, her unpredictable and distinctive behavior becomes absolutely peculiar, and the readers as well as the townspeople in the story fail to explain the strange behavior of the character. The death of her father as well as Homer Barron left Emily with her characteristic odd behavior and she spends years living and sleeping with the corpse of Homer. The narrator is specific in mentioning that the other characters of the story could not, in the beginning, notice the fact that she was crazy, and a mental health professional examines, diagnoses, and treats her. In a reflective analysis of the story, "the reader can go back through the narrative and identify many episodes in which Miss Emily's character and behavior hinted at the possibility of a mental illness, even if the town wanted to deny this fact and leave her intact as a social idol." (Wright) Therefore, it is becomes lucid that that Miss Emily suffered from schizophrenia and that "Miss Emily developed this mental illness as a response to the demanding conditions in which she was living as a Southern woman from an aristocratic family." (Wright) All these aspects in the character of Miss Emily have paramount significance as they point to some of the essential characteristics of characterization in the short story. A profound analysis of the character of Emily in the short story by William Faulkner establishes that the narrator of the story possesses the personality of the old while his age is that of the young. In a reflective analysis of the character of Emily, it becomes clear that the character, rather than being 'sick', has been demented and unendingly disturbed throughout the story. A clear understanding of the character of Emily is important in realizing the narrator that speaks of this story as having a personality of the old with an age of the young. Significantly, Emily understands the rose as symbolizing kudos just as a maverick in early women's movement. "The type of person Emily is wholly due to the men that have left a drastic yet resonating impact on her life; them being her father and Homer Barron. And with their coexistence in her life, she became the women that she is at the end from their impact and the town's comments." (Fatima) Therefore, in a analysis of the behavior of the men versus the women in the story, it is important to realize that the men in the story has an essential impact of the women's personalities. Emily is born to a family of great wealth with a prominent rich ancestry, and she was expected to follow and to be followed with precise exactitude. However, due to the many restrictions of life by her father who highly concealed her, she was compelled to pronounce a great reaction and copious modification to her personality. "The sensationalism in 'A Rose for Emily''is only revealed in the shocking conclusion of the story, allowing Faulkner first to characterize Emily Grierson as a complex figure. Herself a victim of sexual repression and stultifying gender roles, Emily is driven to insanity and murder by family and social dynamics." (Anderson, 102) Therefore, the character of Emily conveys pertinent themes and ideas relating to the relationship between man and women and the role of the society in the development of a woman's personality. Reflecting on the character of Emily's father, it is apparent that the context of the story itself reveals him as a powerful man with much character. The impression of this character is clear in the opening of the story itself, and the image that the readers get is that of a demonizing man with terrorization as his most preferential way of conduct. The death of the father, who has been obviously successful with his threatening behavior, shocks Emily, and this indicates the influence of males over females. The damage of her father's influence on her is evident in her later life, and she rapidly developed a strange outlook to life. "And having been a women of immense prestigious lineage; she began to look at the world in a condescending manner. To her those in the 'ordinary' or 'lower class' men were something she was not only used to but abhorred." (Fatima) Therefore, her entire personality is the result of her experience with the male characters of the story, especially her father and Homer. Her dependence on the opposite sex is clear from the fact that she first denies the fact of her father's death and finds herself unable to leave Homer even after he is dead. Thus, the entire personality of Emily's character is dependable to the male sex, and the effect of the story is that of a thriller as well as an allegory. A clear understanding of the character of Emily suggests that she can be better realized as a person who fights for her rights to live a happy life, rather than one who is twisted. "Emily is clearly not a sick or twisted woman; she is a woman that is fighting for her right to live and be happy as much as she can. It's the damage that was inflicted upon her that coexists within her from the moment her father dies till the moment Homer Barron leaves that makes her a woman of strong wits and beliefs." (Fatima) She undertakes a significant fight representing the women's right to live a happy life even if the male characters like it or not. Therefore, it is pertinent to have a clear understanding of the character of Emily who illustrates the behavior of the men versus the women. To conclude, the characterization of "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner is a distinguishing short story which concludes on the relationship between the behavior of males and females, and the character of Emily is the best illustration of the powerful characterization of the story. "As the rules of the genre require, it presents the reader with the central character, Miss Emily Grierson, who is designated as an eminent individual; some associates, who are divided by sex and characterized in accordance with the stereotype of male conformism and female curiosity; a narrator, who is discreetly identified with the group '" (Roth, 371) The characterization of the story also suggests some of the essential characteristics of the novelist. Therefore, the narrator of the story may be comprehended as possessing the personality of the old with the age of the young. Works Cited Anderson, John Dennis. Student Companion to William Faulkner. Greenwood Publishing. 2007. P 102. Fatima. "Character Analysis Based on "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner." A Rose for Emily. Dec. 2008. . Roth, Michael S. Rediscovering History: Culture, Politics, and the Psyche. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1994. P 371. Wright,'Aaron. Psychological Character Analysis of Emily in "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner." Article Myriad. 2007. 08 Dec. 2008. . Read More