A Rose For Emily Decay Analysis

Words: 941
Pages: 4

At first glance Williams Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is about the life and death of Ms. Emily Grierson and her financial decline that occurs without her knowledge. Emily Grierson is a solitary woman who loses both her father and her lover, Homer Barron. As a result, she avoids human contact and locks herself away in her once glorious house. However, when looking deeper into the short story we see the Faulkner clearly displays the progression of Emily’s life as a story of decay, which is evident throughout the extent of this piece. Whether it is the house, clothes, furniture, or Ms. Emily herself, this theme is portrayed prominently throughout the story. This sense of decay shows many hidden details following Emily Grierson’s life, such as her personal loss of life, financial stability, and love. One of the most eminent feature of this story is the close description of Mr. Grierson herself, and the indication of her old age, and loss of liveliness. One can say that Faulkner may even have expressed Emily as being dead even though she was physically still alive. Within the sixth paragraph the narrator describes Emily in her …show more content…
Within her house all is tarnished, dusty, and worn-out, which serves to confirm Emily's lifeless nature, and the only love she has ever known concludes similarly to everything else in her life. Nothing is left to show for it except dust. Among the death and decay of this story, Faulkner only hints at the once lively side of Ms. Emily that yearned and loved. However, these traits are covered by an impenetrable sense of death that completely takes over her life. In this sense it seems fitting that the author begins the story with Emily's death, because she is as good as dead throughout the rest of the story as