William Faulkner wrote a poignant and short story that reflects the inner state of a person. “A Rose for Emily” tells the fate of a woman who is afraid of change in her life and refuses to accept it. The father and his friend who patronized the family die and Emily loses her closest people. A woman’s lover disappears and her fear of being alone pushes others away from her. When she dies, the inhabitants of the city decide to look into her house, since there have not been any visitors there for a long time. They are horrified by the revealed circumstance, since in the dwelling they discover the corpse of her fiancé, with whom Emily slept in the same bed (May 636). Thus, the main idea of Faulkner’s story lies in the painful experience of change, their denial and the desire to retire in a familiar state and familiar atmosphere.
Loss
The work of William Faulkner made a strong emotional impression on me. First of all, because it shows fear and grief after the loss of loved ones. The pain of loss is devastating, and people cannot let go of the deceased for years. For three days, Emily refuses to bury her father’s body and cannot comprehend his death. She could not withstand the pressure of the ministers and doctors and eventually buried the body herself (Mays 630). However, the author shows the fortitude that appears in difficult situations. Emily acted as if nothing had happened and for me this is the highest ability to restrain myself. Sometimes people have no desire to share their despair with others, and those who experience this alone with themselves arouse my admiration.
In addition, the life of the main character was complicated by the betrayal of her lover, who decided to leave her. Therefore, she pretended that nothing serious was happening (Isroilovich 114). If a person completely succumbs to grief, misfortune can lay a heavy burden on their soul. Emily’s behavior can be seen as a stage of denial in the process of accepting grief, which is inherent in every person. Later, the author will show that Emily will never accept what happened (Bai et al.612). The corpse of her lover in her bed and the horrific picture of the desolation of the house clearly confirm this.
Fear of Change
Furthermore, this story made me think about the changes and people’s reactions to them. I grew up at a time when modifications in the world occur constantly and for the most part remain invisible to human perception. However, some people have a hard time with these things, especially if they happen abruptly. In addition, the factor that Emily was not young plays here, and in old age people get used to a certain way of life and it is extremely difficult to change this. As the West takes on a new shape and old ways are replaced by new ones, Emily denies it. She constantly talks about how Colonel Sartoris exempted her from paying taxes (Mays 632). The main character does not understand that this person, as well as her usual foundations, no longer exists.
I understand that some people are not able to change themselves and their comfort zones. Emily clings tightly to her past and hardly understands what time she lives in. However, her attempts to deny what is happening completely alienate her from the urban community and make her truly lonely (Bays et al. 613). This further exacerbates her position and unwillingness to perceive a new era. Each person longingly remembers the time when he was happy and it is hard for them to accept the hardships of the present. For me, this is one of the main ideas in Faulkner’s work. Through the symbolism of a fading house, the author conveys the decay of the human soul.
This theme deeply resonates in me, as it is clear to me and close. If a person experiences something terrifying and sad inside himself, this is invariably reflected in his surroundings, including the house. A person ceases to pay attention to the environment and the main focus is his own grief. Perhaps this is another reason why Emily cannot accept the changes that are taking place. She became so obsessed with the death of her father and her beloved that the passage of time became an abstract and distant phenomenon for her (Isroilovich 113). Her world was centered inside the house, where she did not let anyone in. It symbolizes her soul, into which she did not allow a single person to look.
Another topic that I have highlighted for myself is the gender differences that the author pursues. For the main character, Faulkner chooses a girl and throughout the story returns to the details of her past. This puts her in the weak position of a person with a depressed psyche. At the same time, she is surrounded by only men who control her life. Emily’s father set her the rules by which she lived. Colonel Sartoris influenced her financial condition and exempted her from paying taxes (Mays 632). Thus, Faulkner shows how weak the girl was at the time the author writes about.
However, the main motive still remains the print of change, including the environmental and political environment. The Civil War led to a freer and more modern West, where people were not so influenced by social stratification. I support this theme, because in modern society people should be free from class enmity. Nevertheless, Emily does not understand this and wants to keep her relatively decent position (Bay et al. 613). The main character denies a way out of the comfort to which she was accustomed during the life of her father. This destroys the social aspect of her development from childhood and leads to a state of co-dependence on stronger people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be said that some of the problems that Faulkner raised can be considered in a modern aspect. First of all, it is the gender inequality that persists in the world. The consequences of this could be permanent dissatisfaction of the population and a possible return to patriarchy as a codependent phenomenon. In addition, the author defines the fear and unwillingness to change, which people, especially the older generation, most acutely experience. Change puts serious pressure on the perception of their own lives. However, in the society of the 21st century, this can become a very serious problem, as society strives for constant development and comfort for each member. As a result, society may find itself in a state of stagnation, which leads to greater class inequality and rejection. Thus, Faulkner raises timeless problems that manifest themselves with varying strength throughout the entire existence of mankind.
Works Cited
Bai, Xiaojun, Xiaotong Zhang, and Yihui Li. “An Analysis of Emily’s Characters in A Rose for Emily from the Perspective of Narration.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research vol. 11, no. 4 (2020). pp. 611-615. Web.
Isroilovich, Umrzaqov Islomjon. “The struggle between obsolescence and novelty in william faulkners “rose for emily”(on the example of north and south traditions).” ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, vol. 12, no. 4, 2022. pp. 112-115.
Mays, Kelly J. The norton introduction to literature. WW Norton & Company, 2015.