Plot Analysis for “A Rose for Emily”

Plot analysis of A Rose For Emily William Faulkners, A Rose for Emily is a stratum with a southern gothic style. The sad story is told to readers through an anonymous narrator that speaks on behalf of the towns muckle, but is non close to Emily, the protagonist, in person. This narration helps sustain a level of curiosity about Emily since readers cannot gain personal insight into her life and psyche. It is ordinarily expressed that the two things of certainty in life be decease and taxes, death being ace of the main themes that runs throughout the story.There is a magazine when Emily seems to be higher up human certainty in the way of taxes. This aversion to one certainty seems to amplify the other(a) in her life, because the symmetricalness of the story contains nothing but death the death of mess, beauty, ideals, everything that once guarded Emily from the rest of the world. Even though it is in vain, the protagonists motivation behindhand everything she does is to m ake term stand still, thus trying to avoid the other human certainty, death.As a result of the story beginning with Emilys funeral, readers are introduced to Miss Emilys struggle with her antagonist, cartridge clip, through the setting she lives in. Miss Emily represents a bi-gone era, one that she veils her life of seclusion in, refusing to deliver the passage of duration some her. Her dramatics is in a state of spoil just same her body, both marking their loss to time. It was a house that, had once been etiolated, embellish with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconiesset on what had once been our most select street(91).The houses description seems to mimic Emilys life because at one time she is described as a, slender figure in white(93) and it is said that None of the young men were quite good teeming for Miss Emily(93). Its as if the houses once in demand(predicate) location imitates Emilys one time desirability among suitors. This symbolism is employ again when t he house is described as, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps(91). The house is more than of an out-of-date crime than an object of respect, as Emily herself was before her death.Faulkners use of the word coquette, points to his aim for readers to see the symbolism of Emilys and the houses battle with time, because a coquette is a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the admiration of men. Since Emily at one time had the admiration of men, she continues to behave as if time has not taken a toll on her desirable visual aspect before men, thus making her act as if she is still above their law. The towns mayor, Colonel Sartoris, promotes this thinking by remitting Emilys taxes after her begetters death.The colonel spins a tale to explain, saying that the tax remittance is to commit back her father for money he loaned the town. A story no one believes according to the author, except a woman. The author says, Wh en the next generation, with its more modern ideas, became mayors and aldermen, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction(91). When the new mayor personally writes Emily to inform her she must pay taxes like the rest of the community, the author describes Emilys react as representing the forgotten past.The story says the mayor, received in reply a note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink, to the effect that she no long went out at all. The tax notice was also enclosed, without comment(91). Emily does everything as if no time has passed. As a result of Emily realizing she cannot stop time, she chooses to leave off out the passage of time in the world around her, by living a secluded life. The narrator says, After her fathers death she went out very little after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all(92).Its at this time that the narrator informs readers about a strange smell emanating from Emilys house, a smell that the passage of time produces to betray her. Because Emily represents a time where people are limited by the role of class and gender in society, this limiting mind-set is what the towns people use as an excuse for the disturb smell. The author says, the only sign of life about the place was the blackamoor man-a young man then-going in and out with a market basket. sound as if a man-any man-could keep a kitchen properly, the ladies said so they were not surprised when the smell developed(92).This same limiting mindset re-emerges when the Aldermen of the town meet to discuss a solution to the rising complaint of the pull in smell. When the young man in the group of Aldermen, who represents the rising generation, suggests what he believes to be a simple solution of confronting Emily about the smell, he is quickly rebuked. The pass judgment cuts him off by saying, Dammit sir,will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad (93)? Similar to Emily, the older men restrict their deci sions base on tradition, thus denying the evidence that time produced to bring her to justice.In the end, it is the passage of time that plays the role of Emilys antagonist. Despite her efforts of seclusion and refusal to change, time has its way with Emily and everything she clings to. one(a) passage refers to a gold chain she wears with the end tucked in her waist on the end of the chain is a watch. Emily carries her antagonist with her as if she believes its closeness will keep it from sneaking up on her as if her own stubborn will set beside it, could stop the cursed tool from ticking forth its unpleasant reminder.