A Rose For Emily Essays (Examples)

Faulkner's A Rose for Emily William Faulkner's

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"

illiam Faulkner's 1930 short story "A Rose for Emily" is about the sudden death of a town's most prominent old woman; the last remaining person who had experienced the American South before the American Civil ar. She had the memories within her of a period of white domination and black subjection, which is mirrored in the relationship she had with her handyman. Money was power. Even members of the same racial profile were broken down into levels of power based upon the amount of money that they had which creates conflict. Emily's father was a powerful man and even though she herself had not accomplished anything in her life, she still was revered because of her bloodline. Emily's story is one of conflict: conflict with her father, conflict with her lover, but more than anything else, she is in conflict with the new generation.

This…… [Read More]

Relationships in a Rose for Emily William

Relationships in a Rose for Emily

illiam Faulkner's A Rose for Emily concerns the life of Emily Grierson, an eccentric recluse who changes from an energetic and hopeful young girl to a secluded and mysterious old woman. Born into a well respected, well off family her father rejected the potential suitors who entered her life. Alone after her father's death, she becomes an object of pity for the people of the town of Jefferson as her grace and appearance deteriorate with time.

It is Miss Emily's abnormal relationship with her father that drives her behavior and is central to the plot of the story. It is strongly suggested that Mr. Grierson intentionally interfered in Miss Emily's attempts to find a husband in order to keep her under his control.

"The day after his death all the ladies prepared to call at the house and offer condolence and aid, as is…… [Read More]

Faulkner's a Rose for Emily and Porter's the Jilting of Granny Weatherall

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Porter's "The Jilting of Granny eatherall."

Jilt can have particularly negative consequences on an individual who is left, considering that the respective person comes to consider that he or she is actually to blame for the fact that his or her lover did not share his or her feelings. The effects of jilting are reflected by the behavior of individuals like Emily in illiam Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Granny eatherall in Katherine Anne Porter's "The Jilting of Granny eatherall." Even with the fact that the former decides to employ a more aggressive attitude in regard to her lover, the latter considers that it would be pointless for her to blame him and simply accepts her condition, even with the fact that she feels rejected by the world as a whole as she spends her last moments on earth.

Even with the fact…… [Read More]

Killings and a Rose for Emily

Tragedy is a main component of both short stories. The element of tragedy caused both main characters to react in differing ways. Both short stories involve death of a beloved family member, albeit, in differing manners. The coping mechanism used by the characters also differed. In "A ose for Emily," Emily coped with the death of father by simply failing to acknowledge it ever happened. In "Killings," Matt Flower engages in murder to better cope with the death of his son (Morton. 2005).

Loneliness and isolation are two very common themes throughout the short stories. In regards to, "A ose for Emily," the death of her father and subsequent husband caused her to be lonely. She reacted by isolating herself from the general public. She isolated herself even after numerous attempts from both her family and community to console her. This loneliness even caused her to lay with her dead…… [Read More]

Faulkner's a Rose for Emily and Porter's the Jilting of Granny Weatherall

Armant

S, Jr.

Never-Ending Relationships

Miss Emily Grierson in Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily" and Granny eatherall in Porter's, "The Jilting of Granny eatherall" are quite similar characters though they are set in different times and different places. The two characters from each respective story have some similarities between each other; however, the most notable is that they both have been "jilted" in love, and the rest of their lives have been impacted because of it.

Emily Grierson is not a stranger to being jilted in love. Though the first jilt happens with her father -- a manipulative and controlling man, it is the second jilt (at the hands of Homer Baron) that is the one that send Emily over the edge of sanity. After being rejected by Homer Baron, Emily decides to find a way to keep Homer with her forever. Instead of tying Homer to her by marriage,…… [Read More]

Unable to Adapt Conflict in a Rose for Emily

Social Conflict: A Rose for Emily

William Faulkner's 1930 short story, A Rose for Emily is about the sudden death of the last remaining person who had experienced the American South before the American Civil War, the most prominent old woman named Emily. Emily had been raised with agrarian and puritan ideas and was unable to adapt to the changing new generations. Her story is about social conflict with family, a lover, and the community.

The American South was primarily an agrarian, puritan, society with stern moral code and rigid doctrine (Fang, 2007). After the American Civil War, industrialization and commercialization changed the moralities and way of life for the south, but sex discrimination against women was still deeply ingrained. Agrarian societies were self-sufficient and family centered. In Puritism, women were condemned as the causes of all evil and troubles (Fang, 2007). They were dominated by men and taught to…… [Read More]

character analysis of emily in rose for emily

Emily through the eyes of the townspeople, who narrate William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily." The townspeople's understanding of Emily is limited by prevailing norms and values: as a mysterious and almost antisocial woman, Emily subverts gender norms and roles in the traditional Southern community. Emily never marries, although she is rejected by two men. Her fear of abandonment is the only identifiable aspect of Emily's character, as her abandonment issues are made clear relatively early in the story: "After her father's death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all," (Faulkner II). The final straw for Emily, what set her over the edge into committing a murder-suicide, was Homer Barron. Barron is described in terms almost as ambiguous as Emily herself. He is a Yankee -- a northerner -- and it may be that he was both a person…… [Read More]

Shaped Character Miss Emily A Rose Emily

shaped character Miss Emily "A ose Emily." What forces work creates a character Miss Emily? Something made Emily character meet story. • Locate (2) scholarly resources include a minimum quotes (2) source.

"A ose for Emily:"

A false, fragile, and wilting image of perfect southern womanhood

William Faulkner's short story "A ose for Emily" chronicles the life of an aristocratic southern woman who is unable to accept the realities of the changing world around her. Two primary factors shape Emily's existence. The first is that of her father, Colonel Sartoris, who believes that no man can ever be good enough for his daughter. The Colonel is so rigid in his worldview, he chases all young men from his door, effectively condemning Emily to spinsterhood. The other shaping force is the mores of the town in which Emily lives. When Emily does not pay her taxes or when her yard smells,…… [Read More]

Faulkner's Story Is Titled A Rose for

Faulkner's story is titled "A Rose for Emily," the text does not mention rose. It is ironic that Faulkner gives his story a title that seems to run counter to the characterization of Emily. Emily is portrayed as an object, at the same time the narrator pities her and describes her as an irritating person who would rather live life on her own terms, which eventually leads to her death. This appears to the reason for such a tittle. It seems to be an attribute to Emily, a way of expressing condolences to her death as well as sympathy to loneliness and her imagination about her status. He begins the story with a description of her funeral "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument..." (Faulkner 484) he goes on to say that "…the…… [Read More]

Denial in Faulkner's A Rose

Homer "liked men" (456) and this must have hurt Emily terribly but she does not respond the way we would expect. Circumstances with Homer are different because Emily is in love with Homer and she sees this as her last chance for sharing her life with someone. This is more than a simple affair for her. hen Homer rejects her, he puts an end to the love story that Emily desires. Because her father has "driven away" (455) all of Emily's previous prospects, Emily refuses to believe Homer cannot love her. She denies this fact, buries it, and begins working on a situation with which she can live. She surmises that living with a dead Homer would mean that she would never have to be alone again and never have to put up with the troubles that having a living boyfriend or husband brings. Homer is better dead than alive…… [Read More]

Death in A Rose for

Her need for love makes her kill Homer. He was her last chance for love and her only chance to avoid being alone every night for the rest of her life. Dead in her bed was one way she knew she could have him forever. Death keeps Emily's dream alive.

Emily's life is one of loss. From the beginning of the story, we know Emily is protected and sheltered by her father. He was doing his best to keep her from getting hurt but all he did was make her life after his death more difficult. He had " driven away" (455) all of Emily's suitors in her younger days. Her father keeps Emily from partaking in some basic aspects of life so that when he dies, she is lost. She misses out on opportunities and friendships because he father is in the way.

"A Rose for Emily" is a…… [Read More]

Alienation in A Rose for

The image of the fog is significant because the protagonist is comparing himself to the fog in that he skirts along the outside of what is happening. If he is like fog, moving slowly and quietly, he does not have to become involved but can still see what is going on. hen he writes that there will be time to "prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet" (27), he is simply avoiding the issue by putting off the inevitable. The protagonist convinces himself that there will be time to do all that he wants to do, such as "murder and create" (28), and "drop a question on your plate" (30). Allan Burns suggests that the images are important to the reader in that they "underscore Prufrock's low self-esteem: he identifies with the lonely working class men" (Burns 47) and the image of his dead being chopped off…… [Read More]

Emily Grierson and Ambrose Bierce in Works

Emily Grierson and Ambrose Bierce

In works of fiction, traditionally the sympathetic characters do actions that are heroic and those that are supposed to be unsympathetic perform actions that are decidedly less so. Given that humans are very judgmental creatures, authors have tried to change reader perceptions by providing plots where characters that may perform unspeakable acts are arguably the most sympathetic creatures in the piece. It is difficult to see a murderer in anything other than a negative light. In illiam Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," and Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," the two authors create antagonists that are killers, but who are compelling and developed enough that the reader cannot dismiss them as mere murderers. Instead, readers are challenged to look at the events surrounding the crimes to make their own determinations about each protagonist.

illiam Faulkner's 1930 short story "A Rose for Emily" tells…… [Read More]

Rose Emely 1st Person Account Short Story

rose emely, 1st person account short story miss emely's point view, text reference quoting parenthetical citations.

"A Rose for Emily:" A first-person account of Emily's point-of-view

I remember what my father the Colonel used to say: never forget that you are a Grierson and you are my daughter. Other people wanted me to forget. The new people of my town, with their new money, with their shiny suits and Northern ways. But I never forgot.

They wanted me to pay taxes. Did they not know that I never had any taxes, nor did my father? How dare they! I remember my father laughing and tearing up the tax notices when they came to our house. It was not done, simply not done. The fact that I had to actually come myself to inform them of this truth was a sad sign of the times.

My father loved me, even though…… [Read More]

Culture and Identity in A

She kills Homer so she will have eternal love, as unreal as that seems, and to placate the townspeople who think she will commit suicide because of Homer's desertion. Southern women had few choices other than marriage, and for Emily, killing Homer was a rational act that gave her control and reason over something. In her town, that would not have been possible for a single, unmarried woman. Her culture limited her, and so she made the only decision she could to remain sane in a limiting and irrational world.

This is a sad story not because Emily lived so long contentedly with a dead man, but because the townspeople were so uninvolved with her and her plight. With some support and understanding, she might have lived a rational and happy life, but the culture did not support that for her or for other women.… [Read More]

Conflict Between Traditionalism and Modernism in a

Conflict between Traditionalism and Modernism in a Rose for Emily by illiam Faulkner

More often, literature provides people not only with a medium with which to entertain themselves, but also to know, understand, and empathize with the characters as the audience place themselves in the social environment and realities that the characters experience in works of literature. These characters and social environment and realities are portrayed in a subjective manner, where the writer/author puts his/her subjective interpretation of a social event or phenomenon, illustrating events in a manner that will have a profound effect on the readers/audience.

This is exactly the main thrust centered in illiam Faulkner's short story, A Rose for Emily. The story centers on the character of Emily Grierson, a member of the wealthy Anglo-Saxon class that had been the dominant and prevalent class in American society prior to the emergence of the 20th century. Through a…… [Read More]

Alexie and Another Poem About an Emily

Sister Buried in a Trunk" by Aaron Barth-Martinson evokes the loneliness of death and the fear that the living must encounter when death strikes down one they love. That is the case in Barth-Martinson's poem, as the narrator calls for Emily and begs her to come down to walk with him rather than die alone in her room.

The blank verse poem makes allusions to two famous Emily's of literature: Faulkner's Emily in "A Rose for Emily," and Emily Dickinson, the famous hermit poet, who died virtually unknown, with all of her poems under her bed unpublished. The allusion to the first Emily is made by the last line, "I shed a tear for Emily," as the narrator cries for the recluse. Allusion to Dickinson is made in the lines referring to the poems found in the trunk: "I found a trunk full / Of slanted verse / And I…… [Read More]

Arranged in a Pleasing and

I think Dickinson's poem is a work that is quite special because of the way she has taken the topic of death and she has made death into human form that is not at all like we would imagine him to be.

It is the sensibility that poets and others writers have, how they come to universal issues and human topics, that make a piece of writing literature. Some may argue that literature is only the classics, however, even popular books (e.g., the Harry Potter series or Twilight series) can be categorized as literature if they fulfill the purpose of the journey. Literature is literature if it speaks to people in a universal way and a lot of popular works can do that.

Within literature there are definite styles and movements. Henry David Thoreau was a writer who focused on what it meant to be human by comparing the human…… [Read More]

Rose for Miss Emily Writing

.." It is as if she is some kind of living museum.

Miss Emily's status as some example of former greatness protected her in other ways. time came when her house... well... smelled. A neighbor went to officials and complained. The response the neighbor got was, "Damn it, sir," Judge Stevens said, "will you accuse a lady to her face of smelling bad?" The assumption was that some animal, perhaps a rat, had died. The location of Miss Emily's house now being so unfortunate with the passage of time, this probably made sense to the town leaders. Rather than confront Miss Emily, they checked her property for carcasses, and sprinkled lime around to encourage the rapid decay if any bodies were about. Such action is unimaginable today, which is one thing that makes the story so striking: the narrator reports these events as fact. What the narrator knows is not…… [Read More]

Emily-Rose Had Just Turned 36 and Was

mily-Rose had just turned 36 and was in her first semester at university when her world began to crumble. This could not have come at a worse time as she has always looked forward to doing a Health Studies degree. Her friends and family were alarmed at the sudden moodiness, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, confusion, joint and muscle pain, nausea & #8230;and above all, the enduring feeling of tiredness she complained of.

mily-Rose has suddenly changed from a happy woman to someone who battled daily episodes of what she calls extreme tiredness and anxiety. In the first three weeks of starting university, her husband Harry and sons, Brian and Bob have put this down to overwork at university and firmly told her to "slacken up a bit." Although she tried a new relaxation regime suggested by her friend Anita, she still complained of daily episodes of overwhelming tiredness and general malaise.…… [Read More]

Men That Died in Faulkner's Story Emily's

men that died in Faulkner's story, Emily's father and Homer. In what way, if any, were they responsible for the way Emily reacted to them? How did her father's treatment toward her impact her relationship with Homer? Why was there no mention of Emily's mother in the story? Was this significant, in your opinion?

Miss Emily was to the town what a lot of people who have enough wealth to be exclusive are in a small town. The South is especially populated with families that have names which are recognized in their region or state as having been prominent at one time, so they are afforded more notice than everyone else. The people were curious about her, and they were, it seemed, especially curious about her relationships and why she had not appeared in public after Homer left her.

From the story it does not seem that the town was…… [Read More]

Richard Hughes A High Wind in Jamaica

ichard Hughes: A High Wind in Jamaica

This story, the first novel by ichard Hughes, takes place in the 19th Century, and mixes the diverse subjects of humor, irony, satire, pirates, sexuality and children into a very interesting tale, with many sidebar stories tucked into the main theme.

The first part of the story has an eerily familiar ring and meteorological link with the December, 2004 tsunami-related disaster in Asia. In A High Wind, first there is an earthquake, then hurricane-force winds, followed by torrential rains (although no tidal wave) devastate the island and the British children who lived there are sent to England. However, on the way they are attacked by pirates and unwittingly kidnapped by those pirates. From there, the novel has a definite Lord of the Flies tone to it: the English children actually take over control of much of the activities on board, which is as…… [Read More]

Southern Stories Revelation of the Intrigues of

Southern Stories Revelation of the Intrigues of Classism and Racism

The two stories, William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily and Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is hard to find are southern literature. Southern literature share common elements such as family focus, racial issues, classism and justice among others. Faulkner is one frequently mentioned writer especially in relation to the Renaissance movement during the 1930s. A Nobel Prize winner he is a significant figure in the history of the south. Faulkner witnessed the challenges that the South faced during his time and more so the discrimination against the African-Americans and the reluctance of the political establishment to embrace change. As much as he was not vocal on these issues, he used perspectivism as a tool against these issues and to point at the erosion of the southern hospitality that gave the family and community priority over the individual. He is bold…… [Read More]

Comparison of Style and Purpose

Rose for Emily," which was authored by William Faulkner in 1930 and "The Yellow Wallpaper," that was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1892, both are intimate stories about women living in their particular times in the United States. In addition, both provide true insights into what it was like as a female living during these historic times. However, the styles of the two authors make the stories very different in their approach and effect on the readers.

"A Rose for Emily," told in five separate sections, is rich with the descriptions, plot structures and mood that made Faulkner such a dynamic and memorable writer. After only a few lines into his artistic work, the reader is transposed into that period and place. For example, when reading the second paragraph, one can easily imagine the look and style of the house: "It was a big, squarish frame house that had…… [Read More]

Faulkner Pulls the Wool Over Readers' Eyes

Rose for Emily

In William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily," the noted author doesn't give very strong evidence that Emily Grierson actually killed Homer Barron, and worse yet, that she slept with his corpse for years. Faulkner teases the reader into believing that Emily did indeed commit these horrific acts. In the process of teasing the reader, Faulkner succeeds in producing what amounts to a satire of sensationalized, hackneyed reporting, Thesis: Despite Faulkner's attention to detail in portraying Emily as possibly the murderer, a sharp attorney could counter the circumstantial evidence in a court of law and Emily would be exonerated.

Why does Emily probably kill Homer?

One of the strengths of this story is how brilliantly Faulkner drops hints -- without having to provide any proof -- that Emily either was likely or not likely the perpetrator of this heinous crime. For example a hint that she…… [Read More]

Psychology Movie Relation

Psychology Movie elation

A ose for Emily

Diagnosing a psychological complication are a daunting task and one that requires immense responsibility of the concerned health professionals who examine the patient and decide the appropriate diagnosis (APA, 2001). Among the many variables that a psychological professional observes, are the patient's past life history. For Emily, an examination of the setting and characters in the plot, and an assessment of some of the themes in Faulkner's short story, A ose for Emily and the occurrences involving Emily's father aids the reader to comprehend the pressures with which Emily tried coping and how she might have suffered from schizophrenia. Emily came from a family of high stature and affluence in their southern community and always had a burden of enormous expectations that people had for her. Her community anticipated her to have a hereditary obligation to uphold traditions, norms that her ancestors had…… [Read More]

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Mrs. Emily is described from the point-of-view of the townspeople as a very haughty person, respected by everyone because of her noble origins. Her refusal to pay taxes as well as all her other whims and peculiarities are accepted by everyone. hen she dies however, the same community is shocked as they realize Mrs. Emily had entertained a perverse obsession during her secluded life, and has slept with the dead body of her former lover, whom she had poisoned herself. Thus, the struggle between the woman's desires and the opposing forces is now apparent: she stubbornly holds on to the memory of her father and to the body of her dead lover, unwilling to relinquish her feelings for them.

Thus, the two stories portray the struggle between the natural body and the spiritual side of man, resolving into delirium and pathological states.

orks Cited

Bierce, Ambrose. Collected orks. New York:…… [Read More]

Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Faulkner uses an unusual point-of-view: the first person plural, the point-of-view of the community in which Emily Grierson lived. Faulkner combines modernism with a few naturalistic elements in his story: Mrs. Emily's life is witnessed from the outside by the community, and the reader has no access to the story itself, but through the hearsay of the country folk. A Rose for Emily also has a surprise and grotesque ending: after Emily's death, the people find in one of the rooms of her house the body of Homer, Mrs. Emily' lover. Thus, Faulkner's style is very interesting, because he tells the story from the point-of-view of an ignorant narrator but impersonal narrator, the community itself, leaving the reader equally ignorant. Both stories thus have naturalistic or pathological elements and manage to keep the reader at a distance from the story itself.

orks Cited

Bierce, Ambrose. Collected orks. New York: Doubleday,…… [Read More]

Modern Short Story

ROSE FOR EMILY'-William Faulkner

William Faulkner's short story "A rose to Emily" is one of the best short stories of 20th century American literature because it contains all the mystery, drama, conflict and intensity that mark a good piece of literature. Emily the female lead of the story is an intriguing character who refuses to mingle with townspeople which gives rise to many vicious rumors about her. This story has been very popular among the readers especially those who are Faulkner's loyal fans as a story involving mystery and dark secrets of a woman who is a total recluse. Townspeople never get to see her or talk to her therefore hewn her father dies, they get a chance to meet this woman who had hitherto remained confined within the four walls of her house. Notice how Faulkner has carefully created the background of this woman; she is not a person…… [Read More]

Interpretation and Analysis

Discrimination and Madness: Examining Motifs in the Short Stories of Faulkner and Gillman

"The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and "A ose for Emily," by William Faulkner, though remarkably different in style and voice, feature stories where women are the main characters. Both of these stories take the reader through a raucous trip through time and sanity leaving the reader constantly guessing. In the midst of these vivid journeys through the narrative, both short stories showcase their female protagonists in fictional worlds where various pertinent social issues fester in the background.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" tells a story written in the first person of a vivacious, imaginative woman who explains that she suffers from a temporary nervous depression colored by a bit of hysteria. Her husband, a doctor, who the narrator tells us is extremely practical, believes she is not sick and rents a colonial mansion for the summer so…… [Read More]

Faulkner and Olsen Analysis Characters in Faulkner

Faulkner and Olsen Analysis

Characters in Faulkner and Olsen

Complex characters tend to be challenging to write, especially in the case of those whose circumstances and actions make them slightly unappealing. William Faulkner and Tillie Olsen, however, show that with brief stories about their characters' pasts, endearment is not so difficult to elicit after all. In Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," Emily Grierson's character is shown through the eyes of a collective narrator. In Olsen's "I Stand Here Ironing," the narrator looks back on the rearing of a troubled child (also the name of Emily). Both authors retell the stories that bring a sort of reader empathy toward the characters, especially after looking back on the past lifestyles both characters faced.

Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"

"A Rose for Emily" is a short story told in five different sections, each reverting to a particular time period as narrated by a…… [Read More]

Poison in Faulkner Poison Plays

The whole poison-purchasing scene is very interesting and adds to the impact of her action. Emily is determined to buy poison and let the pharmacist assume it is to kill rats. While he is adamant about knowing the truth, Emily is not interested in sharing the details of her plans with him.

I want some poison," she said to the druggist. She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eyesockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keeper's face ought to look. "I want some poison," she said.

Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recom -- " want the best you have. I don't care what kind."

The druggist named several. "They'll kill anything up to an elephant. But what you want is --…… [Read More]

Faulkner & F O'Connor the

But the friction between her and her mother translated also to the society, to the 'good country people.' The good country people, represented by Manley Pointer, turned against her, victimizing her by using her own ideals and beliefs. Manley took advantage of her 'weakness,' being able to see through her tough self, knowing that within her, there is a part of her that wanted attention and love without pity. O'Connor may have portrayed Manley to be truly taken by Joy/Hulga's sulkiness and believed her to be like him, the kind of 'good country person' who knew and experienced the harshness of life. This can be verified in his remark after he 'revealed' himself to Joy/Hulga, exclaiming to her, "[w]hat's the matter with you all of a sudden? You just a while ago said you didn't believe in nothing. I thought you was some girl!" (par. 139).

Though Emily and Joy/Hulga…… [Read More]

Narrative Structure Common to Short Stories of

narrative structure common to short stories of the past cannot be found in modern examples of the literary form, and that in short "nothing happens" in modern short stories. hen one examines the modern short story on its own terms, however, exploring the text for what it contains and extracting meaning and action from the words on the page (and the words not on the page), rather than trying to read modern short stories according to the frameworks and preconceptions of the past, it becomes clear that this stance simply doesn't hold water. hile it might be true that a direct narrative structure is less present in modern short stories than in examples from the past, it is far from true that nothing happens in the modern short story. An examination of two canonized and gripping short stories, illiam Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and Andre Dubus' "Killings," reveal that…… [Read More]

Girls in Bikinis From A& p

This skilled use of ironic prose is also observable in "A Jury of her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, as when the woman who has just committed murder tells the investigators: "after a minute...'I sleep sound.'" the tale depicts how a group of women gradually deduce, through small and simple clues, how Mrs. right killed her husband, and why. The women's observations are more astute than the male investigator's analysis, according to police protocols. The point of the story is not murder, but the fact that the murder's quiet wifely desperation has gone ignored for so long, and that only fellow female sufferers can see this sorrow after the fact. Likewise, the point of O'Connor's story, more than the lurid aspects, are the ways that families and human beings fail to connect and communicate with one another, before it is too late.

A naysayer might sniff and ask why use murder…… [Read More]

Human Condition When One Compares Characters in

human condition when one compares characters in the stories of different writers. Each writer's story indicates a perception of the human condition that is acted out by the story's characters. One interesting study may be to compare the character of Miss Emily Grierson from "A Rose for Emily" by illiam Faulkner with the character of Elisa Allen in "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck. Through the author's description of the characters, the world around them, and their reactions, the reader can learn a lot about the individuals, and even more so when they are compared to one another. Miss Emily Grierson and Elisa Allen's very different lifestyles create in each of them a similar perception about the world they live in, but they each respond to their perception of life in very different ways.

It would first be prudent to take a look at the differing lifestyles of the two protagonists,…… [Read More]

Depression in Literature Minnie Wright

Then after Homer disappeared, she gave china painting lessons until a new generation lost interest, and then "The front door closed...remained closed for good" (Faulkner pp). Emily's depression caused her to become a recluse.

All three female protagonists are so dominated by male authority figures that their loneliness leads to severe depression, which in turn leads to madness, then eventually acts of violence. None of the women have active control of their lives, however, each in their own way makes a desperate attempt to take action, to seek a type of redemption for the misery and humiliation they have endured by the male figures in their lives.

orks Cited

Curry, Renee R. "Gender and authorial limitation in Faulkner's 'A Rose for Emily.'" The Mississippi Quarterly. June 22, 1994. Retrieved July 28, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library eb site.

Faulkner, illiam. "A Rose for Emily." Retrieved July 28, 2005 at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/wf_rose.html…… [Read More]

Difficulty Humans Have in Communicating

" As the kitchen gets darker, things move slower and people are more intoxicated. The symbolism is obvious in this story.

A reader could be forgiven if he or she shouted, "ould someone please shed some light on love, on relationships, on truth and dignity in this story and stop babbling through the gin!"

In the hite Elephant story -- as in the other two stories -- there is no resolution, no solution, readers don't know if the woman has her baby, or decides to do what the man wants, have the abortion. But light is important in this story too. The mountains looked like white elephants. There was "no shade and no trees" so the visual is focused on bright light. Shrill light, but there is not much light shed on the real difficult decision facing the couple. There is a lot of talking around the issue. "Let's try…… [Read More]

American Literature in the Early to Mid Twentieth Century

Yank in "Hairy Ape" by Eugene O'Neill

In the play, "Hairy Ape," by Eugene O'Neill, the character of Yank portrays the individual who seeks to conform in his society and is always in need to belong with other people. Robert Smith, or Yank, is illustrated as an individual who personifies anything that is deviant in the society: O'Neill portrays him as "broader, fiercer, more truculent, more powerful, and surer of himself than the rest. They respect his superior strength -- the grudging respect of fear. Then, too, he represents to them a self-expression, the very last word in what they are, their most highly developed individual." This passage from the play shows how, because of both his physical appearance and personality, Yank is immediately identified as 'distinct' and 'different' from other people.

Looking into his portrayal in the play, Yank also shows apparent dislike for conformity, deviating from all the…… [Read More]

Irony in Soldier's Home -- Irony Is

Irony in "Soldier's Home" -- Irony is a device used by writers to let the audience know something that the characters in the story do not know. There is usually a descrepancyt between how things appear and the reality of the situation. Often the characters do not seem aware of any conflict between appearances and the reality, but the audience or reader is aware of the conflict because the writer has used irony in the story. Whatever the emotion of the story is, irony heightens it.

There is a strong element of irony in Ernest Hemingway's painful story "Soldier's Home." Harold, who served in the Army in World War I on the bloodiest battlefields, comes home too late to be welcomed as a hero. We know he needed to be treated as a hero (because he makes up lies about himself) but the townsfolk and his parents do not. While…… [Read More]

True Love the Existence of True Love

True Love

The existence of true love has been a debate among writers, authors, and philanthropists for years. There are many things in this world that we as people share together, but nothing else can bare, mend, or even heal like love. Every place we go and everything we see has in some point in time been touched by some form of love. It is through stories and poems that we indeed do find the existence of true love. I believe that stories and poems provide us with the necessary evidence to prove that true love does exist and we will analyze these poems and stories in the following work to indeed provide evidence of its existence. We find that true love does exist and it is real, when we analyze the writings of those who are most known for acknowledging it. In our world today, society explains love as…… [Read More]

Comparing 3 Nathaniel Hawthorne Short Stories

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Different Manifestations of Evil in Nathaniel Hawthorne's Short Stories ("the Minister's lack Veil," "Young Goodman rown," and "My Kinsman, Major Molineux")

Nathaniel Hawthorne, American writer of 19th century American literature, has become well-known for his thought-provoking stories about the lives of Americans during its early history, at the time where there exists a rigid and conservative society motivated by the teachings of Christianity. With his acclaimed novel, "The Scarlet Letter," Hawthorne is also given credit for his literary expertise in writing short stories, which will become the focus of this paper.

Discussing the works of Hawthorne, namely, "The Minister's lack Veil," "Young Goodman rown," and "My Kinsman, Major Molineux," there emerges a dominant theme among these literary works. Each story carries with a message that talks about humanity's fight against evil in pursuit of goodness. However, what differs these stories from each other is the way he…… [Read More]

Idealized Demonized Image of Women

Emily's only social imperfection in her eyes was remaining unmarried, and to remedy that when she could not possess Homer arron, she murdered him. The loss of her father is replaced by an obsession with another man. Emily literally cannot live without a man, even if she must become a kind of "threatening" and murderous harpy to have a husband (Clarke 6).

Faulkner's Emily lives for love. She follows the expectations of society in a perverse fashion: she kills a man so she will not lack a male presence in her life. In the story, there is no self-expression and freedom to live outside of social constraints and the expectations of how a woman must act. Love is not liberating. Emily is a symbol of a vengeful woman, and an outdated form of false Southern gentility. She seems to have no existence beyond the need for male approval. Although both…… [Read More]

Quintessential Elements of Grotesque and the Burlesque

quintessential elements of grotesque and the burlesque in Edgar Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. The author opens the story with the description of a dreary environment. "DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens"(1846). This introduction is reason enough for an instinctive reader to pre-empt the nature of things to unfold. He goes further to explain the landscape, the haunted house, "….upon the bleak walls - upon the vacant eye-like windows - upon a few rank sedges - and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees…"( 1846). Moreover, there are many other indicators of grotesque elements including the author's description of Roderick and his sister's health conditions. He goes into detail on Madeline telling of the feelings she evokes on him. Nonetheless, the vagueness in the story is also…… [Read More]

Compare and Contrast William Faulkner to Ernest Hemingway

Faulkner and Hemingway: Comparison

William Faulkner (1897-1962) and Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961) were contemporaries who chose to adopt writing style that was highly unique and totally different from many of other writers of their time. Both reached great heights of success and were awarded Nobel Prize for literature. Both Faulkner and Ernest were similar in many ways but there was something essentially different about their narration styles and the psychological influences, which their writings reflect. For example while Faulkner was totally obsessed with dark mysteries such as death and murder, Ernest created stories, which were closer to reality. That is the reason why latter received more appreciation for his work than Faulkner who was highly popular among those who enjoyed thrilling mysteries and dark adventures. But they were both totally original in their writing style and they are responsible for introducing unique powerful devices in literature. Ernest Hemingway enjoyed concealing important…… [Read More]

Fiction Has the Unique Attribute of Being

Fiction has the unique attribute of being able to be relatable to a person regardless of its implications to real life. No matter how bizarre a plot or character might be, it is the meaning behind everything that is obvious that makes the interpretation of stories unique and applicable to the human experience. This is greatly demonstrated in a collection of quotations from a variety of stories that all share one commonality: survival. No matter how tough things go, and no matter what life's circumstances can be, survival is the ultimate goal, and these stories all bring together that philosophy in a variety of ways, but all coming up with the same equal concept.

Nothing brings on this notion of survival more than Zora Neale Hurston does in her story "Sweat." Life is all about how hard one works in order to be able to excel and in order to…… [Read More]

Successful Writing What Person and Voice Are

Successful Writing

What person and voice are used for narrative writing?

To answer the question what "person" and "voice" are used for narrative writing, a reader (and a writer) must first have a clear understanding of what is meant by these terms. In discussion narration, the question of what "person" is used by the author usually means whether a particular work is written, for example, in the persona of an 'I,' that is a first person limited perspective, or the persona of a "he" or "she," in the third person limited or omniscient perspective.

In the first-person limited perspective, or "voice," the reader is taken through the story through the eyes of a single 'I.' Thus, the reader's perspective is limited by the voice and vision of that 'I.' A third-person omniscient perspective is narrated by an objective, outside voice. The third-person omniscient voice knows all and can see all,…… [Read More]

Death of a Salesman Doll's

The reality of this truth is that is Nora does not know herself, her husband cannot possible know who she is. Nora experiences the pain of a blind love that has finally seen the truth. In a moment of enlightenment, she tells her husband, "You don't understand me, and I have never understood you either -- before tonight" (194).

For years, Nora lived safely behind the lie that she called a marriage but after Torvald found out about the loan, the happy marriage was gone and both partners saw the lies of one another. Nora's difficulty with love is different in that she makes a positive discovery in addition to the terrible truth she has learned. In short, not all is in vain. Nora can walk away a more informed, educated, and independent woman as a result of what she went through with Torvald. She can also look forward to…… [Read More]

Piaf Pam Gems Provides a View Into

Piaf," Pam Gems provides a view into the life of the great French singer and arguably the greatest singer of her generation -- Edith Piaf. (Fildier and Primack, 1981), the slices that the playwright provides, more than adequately trace her life. Edith was born a waif on the streets of Paris (literally under a lamp-post). Abandoned by her parents -- a drunken street singer for a mother and a circus acrobat father -- Edith learns to fend for herself from the very beginning. As a natural consequence of her surroundings, she makes the acquaintance of several ne'er do wells. She rises above the lifestyles of the girls she grows up with who prostitute themselves for a living in the hope that they will eventually meet a benefactor with whom they can settle. Edith has a talent for singing and she indulges this interest by singing loudly in the streets. On…… [Read More]

Women in Media A Barbara

Soon thereafter, she started working with CNN channel in handling their Washington bureau. For the forthcoming seven years, Couric was engaged with CNN bureaus across the nation as a producer and also as an on-air reporter. She returned to Washington in 1987 taking up job as a reporter at an NBC affiliate station. She rose from her ranks to hold the number two position as a reporter at the Pentagon for the Washington bureau of the NBC news. ("Katie Couric Biography," n. d.)

For the next three years she was in charge of covering the U.S. invasion of the Panama as also Persian Gulf War in her Pentagon position as also as a new post at the NBC's morning newspaper, Today. In the early part of 1991, she discharged her role as a co-anchor of Today. Her immense popularity with the viewers was because of her pleasant and charming demeanor…… [Read More]

Characters Were Similar and Different in Their

characters were similar and different in their ways, personalities and attitude. This paper also highlights some quotes from the stories to support its claim.

Compare and Contrast

Rose For Miss Emily by illiam Faulkner and Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield relates the stories of two women who had been through a lot in their past lives and were trying to relive their past in their present. The characters of both Miss Emily and Miss Brill are the same. hile Miss Brill relates her past to her present with happy thoughts, Miss Emily considers her present an era that is trying to drift her away from her past. Both the characters of Miss Brill and Miss Emily symbolize loneliness. hile Miss Brill tries to communicate with the outer world, Miss Emily on the other hand shuts herself away from her neighbors and town people. Both the characters are the same and…… [Read More]

Treatment Representation of Women or Children in Nineteenth Century Victorian Literature

Victorian literature was remarkably concerned with the idea of childhood, but to a large degree we must understand the Victorian concept of childhood and youth as being, in some way, a revisionary response to the early nineteenth century Romantic conception. Here we must, to a certain degree, accept Harold Bloom's thesis that Victorian poetry represents a revisionary response to the revolutionary aesthetic of Romanticism, and particularly that of ordsworth. The simplest way to summarize the ordsworthian child is to recall that well-known line from a short lyric (which would be appended as epigraph to later printings of ordsworth's "Ode: Intimations of Immortality, from Recollections of Early Childhood") -- "the child is father of the man." Here, self-definition in adulthood, and indeed the poetic vocation, are founded in the perceived imaginative freedom of childhood.

Thou little Child, yet glorious in the might

Of heaven-born freedom on thy being's height,

hy with…… [Read More]

Stand Here Ironing the Mother

"It is, of course, impossible to catalogue all the circumstances in the outer world that shape children. Children are products of their moment in history, of prevailing conventions and wisdom, of social crusades." (eissbourd 27)

Lidoff, points out the value of the diconect, as it is seen through the narration of perception, rather than reality of feeling. Reflecting that one really can not know another, no matter how close one is to them or how much they wish they could, be the key to their understanding.

Mothers and daughters especially, in "I Stand Here Ironing"... are portrayed as they exist within the minds and feelings of each other: they are imaged by reflection, without the distinction between them always being clear -- to them, to us, to the narrator. The story of one becomes the story of the other with the nearly imperceptible figure-ground reversal of an optical illusion.

Lidoff…… [Read More]

Freudian Reading of The Short and Happy

Freudian Reading of "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber"

Diagnose Hemingway on the basis of the characters in Macomber. Freud felt that the work exemplified the author's mental state, so on the basis of the biography and the characters in the story, what might you conclude about Hemingway himself?

"The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is one of many of Ernest Hemingway's compelling and dense short stories. This paper will attempt to psychoanalyze Hemingway by critically reading and interpreting the themes, characters, and narrative of the short story. Hemingway was a man who was concerned with virility and masculinity as a writer and in his life. This story centers around a weak man married to a strong woman. Hemingway's female characters are often exceptionally alluring, but not because they are perfect or healthy. The women of Hemingway's stories and novels are imperfect, flawed, and often perceptibly…… [Read More]

Conflict the Theme of Freedom

The choice cannot be repudiated or duplicated, but one makes the choice without foreknowledge, almost as if blindly. After making the selection, the traveler in Frost's poem says, "Yet knowing how way leads on to way/I doubted if I should ever come back" (14-15). And at the end, as one continues to encounter different forks along the way, the endless paths have slim chance of ever giving the traveler a second choice. One can see this as similar to Mrs. Mallard's change. As she looks out into the future, she sees endless possibilities for choice and nothing feels like she would ever return to the determinate state of marriage.

The final two lines of "The Road Not Taken" say, "I took the one less traveled by / and that has made all the difference" (19-20). Unlike in Chopin, the traveler determines to take the path. In Chopin, the path forces…… [Read More]

Updike's A& p John Updike's Short

This interpretation is given further credence by the old butcher's "sizing up their joints."

This has been a contentious point in literature, politics, and the social sciences pretty much since the beginning of recorded history (and probably long before that). Sammy's boss Mr. Lengel does not appreciate the girls' dress, and repeats several times that the a&P is not a beach, eventually demanding that the girls cover up better before coming into the store the next time. Because of the frankness of the description of the girls and the obvious sexual desire expressed by Sammy and the other men, I was not too surprised that the girls' bathing suits earned negative commentary by the end of the story. The girls' reaction, though, did make me realize how much society has changed since the time the story was written. Now, not only do people (especially girls and women) wear much more…… [Read More]

Fiction Setting Is One of

In Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado," the setting is of a very different nature, but also concerns life, death, and the irony that often accompanies the interaction between the two. The main character and first-person narrator, Montresor, leads Fortunato to his grave for an unnamed trespass. Under the pretence of wanting his expertise regarding a cask of amontillado, Montresor leads his friend into the recesses of an extensive vault, which also serves as a grave for a centuries-old family. The story is filled with increasingly grim descriptions of damp darkness and "piled bones" belonging to the generations of Montresor's family. The increasing darkness then correlates with the theme of Fortunato's impending doom. At the final turn, Montresor traps him in a crypt and seals him inside. The darkness can then serve to indicate the darkness of Montresor's action as well as the horror of Fortunato's final doom.

In Hawthorne's story,…… [Read More]

Setting in The Story of

She is literally locked in the house and it becomes her "protector" of sorts. It is as real as a character because it is has a type of power over Louise. She can never leave it. After hearing the news of Brently, Louise runs up to her room and "would have no one follow her" (635). The room takes on a persona as it becomes the one thing with which Louise shares her secret of freedom. Here, she can relish in the thought of being free without worrying about the disapproval of others. Here, she can express the excitement she feels when she looks outside and considers freedom as something within her grasp. This is the only place that knows her true heart and it is the only place in which she has few minutes to taste the freedom she desires. The room envelops her and allows her to this…… [Read More]

Alienation in Different Works of Literature Alienation

Alienation in Different orks of Literature

Alienation is a common theme in many works of literature -- in many genres, across many periods, and of many different forms. The idea that one individual cannot truly know or understand another, or that the rules of society necessarily force those that question those rules to somehow be outside of that society, has been around since the time of Homer and certain of his characters. It can also be seen in more modern works of poetry, short stories, and dramatic texts, from a variety of authors writing in different times and with very different perspectives.

illiam Blake's poem late eighteenth century poem "The Tyger" does not deal with humanity's alienation from itself, or individuals' alienation from each other, but rather addresses the alienation of humanity from the divine. Describing the tiger as "fearful" and asking what "distant deeps or skies" the tiger's maker…… [Read More]

Unraveling The Heroine of Charlotte

"I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time… I lie here on this great immovable bed -- it is nailed down, I believe -- and follow that pattern about by the hour. It is as good as gymnastics, I assure you. I start, we'll say, at the bottom, down in the corner over there where it has not been touched, and I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion." She does not think of her child, and only occasionally of her husband. The wallpaper and the imaginary woman command her focus. Forced into a pointless existence, and denied the mobility and the intellectual excitement that make life meaningful, the woman's mind turns to other intellectual and imaginary pursuits, Gilman suggests.

Eventually, rather than describing herself as looking at the pattern of the wallpaper, Gilman's heroine disassociates and…… [Read More]