Repression In A Rose For Emily

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A Psychoanalytical criticism on Repression in “A Rose for Emily” In William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily,” the main character Miss Emily Greison has issues with accepting change in her town which proves to be a struggle for her. She seems to repress these changes because she has grown up in unchanging era that is now going extinct. Examples that display her repression of change are supported throughout the course of the various parts of the story. Understanding Miss Greison repression of change may help the reader understand why her character can be irrational and ultimately seen as unstable by the end of the story. Miss Emily Greison is shown to have grown up with an overprotective father that felt that none of the town’s suitors were worthy enough for his daughter. Unfortunately, this means he kept her from developing a normal relationship with a man. Once he died, she refuses to allow the townspeople from taking his body. “Miss Emily met them at the door, dressed as usual and with no trace of grief on her …show more content…
The town continued to change around her but she refused to accept these new changes. It is almost as if her mind is stuck in her own frozen unchanging time bubble that she refuses to come out of and accept that things are changing. In conclusion, there are a several examples that support Miss Emily’s repression and denial of change in “A Rose for Emily”. Overall Miss Emily seems to be trapped in her unchanging way while the world around her continues to grow and evolve. One has to wonder if this denial of reality was truly caused by her environment or the fact that it is mentioned that her family has a history of mental illness. “People in our town, remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great-aunt, had gone completely crazy…” (Faulkner