Essay on the Structure of William Faulkners A Rose for...

The Structure of A Rose for Emily William Faulkners A Rose for Emily is a story that uses flashbacks to foreshadow a surprise ending. The story begins with the death of a prominent old woman, Emily, and finishes with the startling discovery that Emily as been sleeping with the corpse of her lover, whom she murdered, for the past forty years. The middle of the story is told in flashbacks by a narrator who seems to represent the collective memory of an entire town. Within these flashbacks, which jump in time from ten years past to forty years past, are hidden clues which prepare the reader for the unexpected ending, such as hints of Emilys insanity, her odd behavior concerning the deaths of loved ones, and the evidence that the†¦show more content†¦When the people of the town try to explain away her odd behavior, they did not say she was crazy then (paragraph 28). This implies that although at that time she wasnt considered insane, and although the narrator never states so directly, there will come a time when she will be. An important idiosyncrasy of Emilys that will help the reader to understand the bizarre finale of the story, is her apparent inability to cope with the death of someone she cared for. When deputies were sent to recover back taxes from Emily, she directed them to Colonel Sartoris, an ex-mayor that had told her she would never have to pay taxes, and a man that had been dead for ten years. Years before this incident, however, after her father had died, she continued to act has if he had not, and only allowed his body to be removed when threatened with legal action. Considering the fate of her lovers corpse, one suspects she would have kept her fathers corpse also, had the town not known of his death. Littered throughout the story is evidence that the murder took place. When Emily takes up with Homer Barron, a man whom the narrator makes clear was not the marrying kind; rumors start to fly about the two at a time when it was not considered proper for a man and woman to live together. The town, her relatives, and the Baptist minister disapproved of the relationship, and Emily was in danger of loosing Homer. A year after the relationship begins, and the pressures to either marryShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of A Rose For Emily Essay1643 Words   |  7 PagesBeing An Outcast: Emily As Manifesting Thematic Alienation in Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† I. Introduction Being taught in high schools and universities all across the nation, William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has achieved a great deal of both academic and mainstream respect in the United States. 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