A Character Analysis of William Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily"

In William FaulknerтАЩs short story тАЬA Rose For EmilyтАЭ he had described Emily using five adjectives. These five adjectives were identified in Part IV of his story. тАЬThus she passed from generation to generation тАУ dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse.тАЭ(80) Alice Hall Petry makes note of Terry HellerтАЩs analysis that тАЬonly fourтАЭ of the adjectives are used by the time we get to that statement and that each adjective coincides with each Part of the story in the order that they appear. Petry also makes note to a few that have pondered the reason for FaulknerтАЩs placement of this passage in Part IV and sums it up to be FaulknerтАЩs way of foreshadowing.

In Part I, Faulkner described Emily to be тАЬdear.тАЭ The word тАЬdearтАЭ can have two meanings in this sense. Petry believes Faulkner had meant тАЬdearтАЭ to mean тАЬsweet or cherishedтАЭ in her article. тАЬOn a tarnished easel before the fireplace stood a crayon portrait of Miss EmilyтАЩs father.тАЭ (Faulkner 76) Because the portrait was done in crayon, it is assumed that Miss Emily was a child when it was drawn; childhood is assumed to be a period in life where everything is sweet and innocent. The tarnished easel would then represent that the portrait was put there in front of the fireplace for some time, a portrait that her father had cherished. In retrospect, Heller had believed the word тАЬdearтАЭ to mean тАЬcostly.тАЭ (Petry 53) Heller sees this in Part I of the story when Emily refuses to pay her taxes. (Petry 53)

When the next generation, with its more modern ideas, became mayors

and aldermen, this arrangement created some little dissatisfaction. One

the first of the year they mailed her a tax notice. February came, and

there was no reply. They wrote her a formal letter, asking her to call the

sheriffтАЩs office at her convenience. A week later the mayor wrote her

himself, offering to call or send his car for her, and 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 longer went out at all. The tax notice was also enclosed, without comment.

Later in that same Part when the aldermen went to Miss EmilyтАЩs home тАЬHer voice was dry and cold. тАШI have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me. Perhaps one of you can gain access to the city records and satisfy yourselves.тАЩтАЭ

In Part II, Faulkner described Emily to be тАЬinescapable.тАЭ Alice Hall Petry believes that Faulkner related this to the events leading to the decomposition of Homer BaronтАЩs body and тАЬthe smell.тАЭ тАЬтАжjust as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before about the smell.тАЭ (Faulkner 76) тАЬ тАШJust as if a man тАУ any man тАУ could keep a kitchen properly,тАЩ the ladies said; so they were not surprised when the smell developed.тАЭ (Faulkner 76) To resolve the тАЬinescapableтАЭ smell issue, some of the townspeople went to Miss EmilyтАЩs home and put lime about her yard and in her cellar. (Faulkner 77)

The next adjective Faulkner uses in Part III to describe Miss Emily as тАЬimperviousтАЭ she is not affected by or influenced by anyone. тАЬShe carried her head high enough тАУ even when we believed that she was fallen.тАЭ Another example of Miss Emily being тАЬimperviousтАЭ is when:

The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face

like a strained flag. тАЬWhy of course,тАЭ the druggist said. тАЬIf thatтАЩs what you

want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for.тАЭ Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up.

Petry stated in her article тАЬEmily stonily refuses to concede to the law in regard to the purchase of poisonтАжand on a more ironic note, her sexual penetration in Part III confirms her imperviousness.тАЭ In fact, in Part III Faulkner comes right out and says how Emily is impervious. тАЬIt was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness.тАЭ

In Part IV Faulkner suggests that Emily is tranquil. Petry refers to this as EmilyтАЩs тАЬpost murder life.тАЭ

Вместе с этим смотрят:

"Грусть и святость" (Поэтическое богословие Николая Рубцова)

"Донские рассказы" Михаила Шолохова

"Живопись слова" в японской поэзии

"Записки из подполья" как исток философии экзистенциализма Ф.М. Достоевского

"Подпольный человек" Ф.И. Достоевского