Faulkner a Rose for Emily essays

Faulkner a Rose for Emily essays One of the themes suggested in William Faulkners short story a rose for Emily is that an extremely overbearing parent can lead to the mental and emotional breakdown in the child. There are a few scenes that demonstrate this however the two key ones are when the women show up at Emilys home to offer condolences following her fathers death and following her own death when the townsfolk look around at her home. William Faulkner suggests Emilys instable mind by presenting the story in fractured time. The story jumps from Emilys death to her middle age to younger years. An early scene following her fathers death hints at some emotional instability. For three days she refused to allow her father to be buried. She had no feelings of grief or pain. She had been so emotionally scarred by her fathers dominance that she didnt want to let go of the only thing she had. At first read this seems like a defense mechanism in dealing with the death. Upon further review and placed in context with the final scenes, it foreshadows her future skewed attempt at self-actualization. Faulkner holds our interest throughout the story by delayed fulfillment. The reader follows Emily through the eyes of the town, never knowing her inner workings. The scenes after her death finally reveal everything. The ladies discovery of Homer Barron's rotting remains in the bed is the one time Faulkner shows Emilys mental problems clearly manifested. The murder was Emilys attempt at being dominant like her father was with her. Homer was not the marrying type of man so Emily killed him and forced a wedding upon him to spite her father. Evidence that suggests this is the woman discovering the room furnished for a bridal. Also the removed collar and tie suggest the honeymoon that followed. Emily seemed to go insane with her desire to spite her father by doing things that were extremely unethical. The last line sugge...