In the narrative “ A Rose for Emily, ” William Faulkner shows Miss Emilys inability to accept alteration. Through the physical, societal and historical scenes, Faulkner explains what struggles Miss Emily is confronting. Miss Emily lives in the yesteryear to protect herself from a hereafter that is unsure. Miss Emily goes to great lengths to protect her societal position. The physical, societal, and historical scenes non merely hold a relation to Miss Emily but besides has relation to the Grierson house.
“ Stubborn and flirtatious decay, ” is how Faulkner describes the Grierson house. He does this to remind us of Miss Emily ‘s inability to alter and accept the hereafter. The house was located on one of the best town of Jefferson. However, times changed and the town moved on towards the hereafter. The houses were replaced by concern such as auto garages until merely Miss Emily ‘s house was left. The Grierson house is a reminder that Miss Emily can non accept alteration. Miss Emily refuses to alter with the town because her household one time was the centre of it, and alteration means her household may non be the centre of attending any longer. Emily is merely like the Grierson house because, she seems to be held back in clip and garbages to accept the hereafter. The Grierson name was get downing to go less and less of import in the town. Miss Emily finds herself in a struggle with the present in order to salvage her yesteryear.
As the town of Jefferson becomes modernized Miss Emily finds herself in a struggle of societal power over the full town of Jefferson. Miss Emily enjoyed the clip she had back in the twenty-four hours when her household had power and when the Grierson name meant something. Miss Emily denies the decease of her male parent to the townsfolk for three yearss and becomes greedy over her male parent ‘s dead organic structure because he had such a immense impact in her life. Miss Emily ‘s male parent robbed her of a happy life but besides gave her everything she has today. Miss Emily feels helpless without her male parent ‘s presence in Jefferson because he was the adult male who made all the picks and determinations in her life. Without her male parent she feels less of import to the community and does non cognize how to manage life without her male parent ‘s way.
Emily wants to populate in a topographic point where nil of all time alterations. When Miss Emily meets a adult male by the name of Homer Baron, a building worker with a low societal position, she falls in love with him. Even though Miss Emily is in love with Homer she feels he is non good plenty for her, and this is destroying her societal image. Miss Emily refers to Homer as merely non the marrying type and is worried that he might go forth her. If Homer was to go forth Miss Emily, she believes that the townsfolk of Jefferson will feel for her for this. Miss Emily was one time once more confronting the world that her life can alter, so she goes back to her universe of the past and decides to takes Homer with her. Miss Emily purchased toxicant that will finally seal Homer ‘s destiny and will acquire rid of the lone beginning of alteration she has of all time had in her life. The room upstairs becomes her universe of the yesteryear where she can remain with dead Homer forever and maintain it a secret from the full town.
Faulkner portrays historical scene in the book by holding Miss Emily believe that the universe she lives in is really the yesteryear. However that is non the world Miss Emily is confronting. When asked if she received a revenue enhancement notice from the sheriff she would inquire for him to see Colonel Sartoris. Miss Emily believes that she is still exempt from paying revenue enhancements because in her head she is still better than the remainder of the town. “ I have no revenue enhancements in Jefferson, ” Faulkner shows with this quotation mark that Miss Emily still believes that she believes her yesteryear is a world. If Miss Emily pays her revenue enhancements she feels it will downgrade her to a regular position. She chooses to disregard clip so that the Grierson name will ever be of import to the town of Jefferson and she can go on to populate her life the manner she wants.
The physical, historical and societal scenes are connected through the Grierson house in alone ways that shows Miss Emily ‘s unwillingness to alter with her environment. Miss Emily ‘s societal position is the high spot of her life and in order to protect this she has to populate her life in the yesteryear. When Miss Emily dies, the people of Jefferson learn about her secrets and the life she truly lived. Harmonizing to Miss Emily her efforts to maintain her societal position in the town of Jefferson worked. However the townsfolk will non retrieve the Grierson household as one of high societal position, but instead as one of insanity.
