María Fernanda Hermosillo Arrieta EN 278: American Literature: 1914 to Present Dr. Hendryx February 28 2023 Essay 1 This essay will compare two different works covered in this class so far, which are “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner—representing Southern Gothic stories—and “The End of Something” by Ernest Hemingway. Although both works contained modernist traits which will be expanded upon later on, the themes covered are vastly different. Staying true to the characteristics of Southern gothic stories, Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” contains themes of death and murder, along with a sense of alienation—which can be observed between both Miss Emily and the rest of town, as well as between the characters and the reader. Having a third person …show more content…
As the short story advances, the reader comprehends that the title is not only a reference to the decline of the Mill in Horton’s Bay but it foreshadows the decline in the relationship between Nick and Marjorie, ultimately leading to their breakup. These parallels are key to understanding how both Marjorie and Nick not only have differing views of their relationship but of the importance of the Mill for the town. These different points of view can be interpreted while Marjorie and Nick pass by the old building, which Marjorie romanticizes, as she mentions it “seems more like a castle” (Hemingway 2), to which Nick does not reply. Given the ambiguity of the text—and the iceberg theory created by Hemingway himself—one may interpret this conversation as Marjorie romanticizing her time next to Nick—who she deems as a loving partner—while to Nick himself it holds no sentimental or important value. Just like their relationship, the Mill may represent nothing more than something that has run its course and is now a ruin that must be left behind. Furthermore, one can believe that Nick is disappointed in both the Mill and his relationship with Marjorie, as he can barely remember the first, and finds the second as “not fun any more. Not any of it” (Hemingway 6). While this change in the dynamic causes a disillusionment in Marjorie—who asks Nick if “isn’t love any fun?” (Hemingway 6)—she moves forward, which exemplifies how Hemingway explores the theme of acceptance. In the same way that Horton Bay’s population had to move forward with the closing of the Mill, Marjorie had to move forward with the end of her relationship by physically removing herself from the setting and taking the boat or taking her vehicle toward her independence. By rowing away from Nick, Marjorie can regain some control and move on with her
Nick immigrated to the east from the Midwest, two exceedingly different settings with different values and ideals. The Midwest represented a wholesome, simple, yet fulfilled life to Nick, “...my Middle West – not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth…” (Fitzgerald, 176). This quote shows how just a memory of the Midwest had brought him joy, while his whole stay on the east coast was not as pleasing, actually shattering his optimal ideas he had of the east. Nearing the end of the novel, Nick begins to realize how much disregard east coast citizens have towards others.
In his short story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner intends to convey a message to his audience about the unwillingness in human nature to accept change and more specifically the secretive tendencies of aristocrats in the South during the early 20th century. In order to do this, Faulkner sets up a story in which he isolates and old aristocratic woman, Miss Emily, from her fellow townspeople and proceeds to juxtapose her lifestyle with theirs. In doing this he demonstrates her stubborn refusal to change along with the town, but also Among several literary devices the author employs to achieve this contrast, Faulkner sets up his narrator as a seemingly reliable, impartial and knowledgeable member of the community in which Miss Emily lives by using a first person plural, partially omniscient point of view. The narrator is present for all of the scenes that take place in the story, but does not play any role in the events, and speaks for the town as a whole. Faulkner immediately sets up his narrator as a member of the community in the first line of the story, saying that when Miss Emily died “our whole town went to her funeral.”
Analysis of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner is the best short story because its plot, setting, and symbols are well formulated and incorporated into the story to effectively convey the themes of death and change, race and gender. A Rose for Emily is a short story regarding the life of Emily Grierson as told through the perspectives of the townspeople in a tiny old town in the South. The story begins with the awkward relationship between Emily and her dad, pre and posts his death, and further explores how Emily gets secluded after poisoning her “Yankee” partner Homer Barron and concealing his remains for more than a decade in her bed. William Faulkner exploits various literary devices to create various themes.
This made Ann keep her thoughts to herself, she can’t complain about John’s love and devotion because all John wanted is the best for Ann. Sinclair Ross used the setting to symbolizes what John and Ann’s marriage is, “in winter, with roads impassable...that from a five the distance was more trebled to seventeen” has a direct connection with their marriage because like the roads being impassable, John and Ann’s
Emily, from “A Rose for Emily,” and Jane, from “The Yellow Wallpaper,” both were affected by and experience these elements in similar ways. “A Rose for Emily” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both time-honored and admirable examples of American Gothic fiction. Both short stories possess the classic elements of a Gothic story and show them in distinct ways and through very different yet similar characters. Throughout these short stories, the authors express their feelings and opinions toward the American stereotypes and ideals of the times through characters of their own
In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” the historical context is important to understand. In order to fully comprehend the short story there must be some sort of understanding about the time period in which the story took place. This short story took place in the 18th/19th century during and after the Civil War in the South. In “A Rose for Emily” the historical context shows the social, economic, and the cultural environment of the background. Miss Emily was born during the Civil War.
Hemingway uses natural and manufactured setting to foreshadow Nick and Marjorie 's breakup and to emphasize their incompatibility. Nick and Marjorie row across the bay when they go "suddenly from the sandy shallows to twelve feet of dark water. " By saying this Hemingway is using water to foreshadow that something bad will happen in this story. The ruins of the saw mill have been deserted for ten years, and is nothing more than a broken limestone foundation.
Nick had attempted to escape from this lifestyle but because he was unable to make a complete decision in the beginning, he kept living it through the Buchanans; they were Nick’s window to the past. He witnesses Tom’s affair being “insisted upon wherever he was known” (21) without shame, and Daisy “[turn] out the light” (117) in her relationship with Gatsby, as it it never happened. A quiet bystander, never interfering, he experiences their life of ignorance, one with no repercussions, the one he had. Unwilling to remove himself from them, he instead complies to their wants, their decisions that create a sense of accomplishment. Doing nothing to change and move on from his past, Nick makes his choice to move to the east pointless.
In “The Ghostly Voice of Gossip in Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily”” author Thomas Klein argues that William Faulkner’s use of an unconventional narrator enhances the story’s complicated timeline and uses examples throughout the text to propose a model as to who the narrator really is. Doing so, Klein focuses in on the reasoning to Faulkner’s claim of “A Rose For Emily” was written as a ghost story. Klein focuses on how the narrator does not claim what gender he or she is. He states that the narrator keeps the main tone of the entire text as either “we” or “our”, never identifying who they are. He expresses that the narrator never declares from what generation he
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” critiques the American South Describing Emily’s vibrant life full of hope and buoyancy, later shrouded into the profound mystery, Faulkner emphasizes her denial to accept the concept of death. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” takes place in the South during the transitional time period from the racial discrimination to the core political change of racial equality. Starting from the description of her death, “A Rose for Emily” tells the story about the lady who is the last in her generation (Emily Grierson). Being strong, proud and a traditional lady of southern aristocracy, Emily turns into an evil, unpredictable and mysterious old lady after the death of her father. Even though “A Rose for Emily”
Well-known author, William Faulkner, in A Rose For Emily, recounts the life of a woman named Emily. Faulkner uses various rhetorical strategies to convey his dark and dreary theme regarding Emily. These strategies include tone, characterization, and foreshadowing. Faulkner’s effective use of these strategies dramatically intensify the reader’s understanding of his theme regarding Emily’s isolation and resistance to change. Faulkner uses characterization to exhibit Emily’s isolation and resistance to change.
“A Rose for Emily” is a unique short story that keeps the reader guessing even though its first sentence already reveals the majority of the content. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is the epitome of a work that follows an unconventional plot structure and a non-linear timeline, but this method of organization is intentional, as it creates suspense throughout the story. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” follows an unusual plot structure, which creates an eccentric application of suspense to a short story. Throughout the story, there are no clear indications of standard plot structure in each section, such as intro, climax, and denouement. Instead, there are sections, which are not in chronological order, that describe a particular conflict or event, which in turn creates suspense, as each conflict builds upon each other to make the reader question the overall context and organization of the story.
The discussion and results of this paper present how Faulkner 's language is used in away to show the complexities in the main character 's life so as to reinforce the reader 's understanding of the different narrative features in the story: characters, themes, setting, structure , symbolism, and intertextuality. In fact A Rose for Emily represents a typical southern woman whom victimized by the conventional system of the South and patriarchy. 1 Introduction The is paper focus of this study is on the style of es on William Faulkner 's style in one of his short story ies "A Rose for Emily". The language of the text provides a variety of stylistic features that may affect the readers ' understanding of Faulkner 's themes, characters and setting leading to a better appreciation of the story.
Searching for a simpler life, Nick’s methodicalness symbolizes his urge to leave behind his complicated past and drown it in simplicity. As Nick awakes beside the river, he becomes excited to fish. Nick is “really too hurried to eat breakfast, but he knew he must” (Hemingway 188). Perhaps, Nick’s discipline to his routine will give him a sense of balance after coming from a tragic war. He finds joy in simplicity.
Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers in American literature usually and southern literature specifically. His first published Story “A rose for Emily”, is one of the most famous that an American has written. Faulkner captured Southern Gothic in this short story by giving the story a moody and forbidding atmosphere. “A Rose for Emily” depicts southern gothic literature through the characters, the setting, and the mysteries and secrets.