My initial response to "A Rose for Emily" made me feel sorry for her. Especially, after finding out what Emily had done to Homer at the end of the story. It was actually a little creepy at first but then felt sorry for her afterwards. She would lay next to Homer's dead body to feel loved and that was kinda sad to me. She couldn't watch him walk away so she murdered him so she could keep him with her. I think this was probably the most interesting and intense part of the story to me. Her pain reminded me of a recent break-up in a way. I know what it feels like to know someone loved you once but tell you they don't anymore. You're stuck with the feelings for them but it seems like there is nothing you can do to stop them from walking away. Emily didn't have many people who could give her love so she couldn't handle it when Homer was about to leave her. She was probably overwhelmed with all the harsh feelings, she probably felt scared and though she would remain alone for the rest of her life. This probably led her to murder Holmes so she could keep him next to her, literally. In "A Rose to Emily," William Faulkner uses character, plot, and setting to point out that we all need love because the lack of it in our lives can destroy us. Faulkner uses the character element by using the people who Emily though of as lower to her to basically tell the story through their eyes. He messes with the plot to grab our attention and leads us to the end so we can understand the message. The setting delivers a sense of loneliness and rejection. The big old lonely house where Emily spent most of her life and ended up dying in.
Did anyone get a different message from this story?
Feeling Emilys pain in this story was very powerful and came with a powerful message. I agree that the setting did play a role in showing loneliness and rejection throughout the story. Being in that house without love was what destroyed Emily. I think your message was right on and to the point.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you included a thesis statement and think it was done very well. Each one of those literary elements could be used to prove that those without love will eventually go crazy. Feeling loved and giving love is in our nature as human beings and without it we turn to desperate measures to satisfy our needs. This is evident in the drastic measures Miss Emily goes through to fulfill the need to feel loved or to have someone to love.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a valid connection to what the author was trying to portray in this story. There's a major sense that Emily has a very lonely life, but I also got a feeling that her separation from the town as a whole was a major contributor to the "why" of her actions. You state "Faulkner uses the character element by using the people who Emily thought of as lower to her to basically tell the story through their eyes." and I must say that I agree with the statement but that it also spoke in a different way to me at the same time.
ReplyDeleteMy interpretation was that Emily was sort of isolated from everyone because of how her father raised her, as this aristocratic lady that was too good for ANYONE in the town, and that when he passed away the townsfolk just left her to her own devices. It seemed sort of ironic to me because here is Faulkner telling the story from the point of view of the townsfolk, giving their opinions of sympathy for Emily, but because of their lack of action toward her she kind of goes off the deep end.
I like that you point out your opinion of why she murdered him. I got the same feeling when I read the story. It seemed pretty blatant to me that something had happened between the two characters, and Faulkner doesn't really state what it is, but it leads to her murdering him and clinging to the idea of their relationship for the rest of her days. It's sad, disturbing, and even a little grotesque at times, but it also seems symbolic of how love can be; sometimes in love we have this skewed vision or perspective of what's happening in our relationships as opposed to the truth of events.
I thought your blog was very well thought out and spot on. I also think we can all relate to this one in one way or another. Thanks, Angel!
This is very well thought out. I think I forgot all about the plot and setting stuff, but you used all of it here. I felt the same about her not wanting to be alone, or let him walk away. I can definitely see how she felt lonely and rejected. Those two feelings alone are enough to make a person do just about anything.
ReplyDeleteYou cover a varitety of themes here loneliness really sticks out to me. It's interesting seeing how people react to situations differently. Though emily and even the townsfolk want to do the right thing, their actions just end up hurting eachother. In the end seperation can cause terrible things to happen as we saw.
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ReplyDeleteI think everyone can relate to this story when it comes to heart ache. We all have our share in heart ache. I agree that Faulkner uses this story to let the reader know that everyone needs to love and be loved. Since her father deprived her of being loved she ended up displaying malice behavior. I also think she killed him because she was desperate and lonely. No one wants to die alone, especially Emily.
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