William Faulkner?

Question

I am writing a paper examining Miss Emily from "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner. I am not asking for someone to write my paper. It's almost finished. What I am asking is for opinions from people who have read the story. I feel like Miss Emily suffers from abandonment issues. Yes, I know she feels free after her father dies, but I think she also not sure what to do with the freedom and denies her father's death. His death leaves her unsure and alone. Also, the town mayor dies and he took care of her taxes for her. Can anyone add to this or bring up another point? Thank you.

Answer 1

I don't see it the same way. Alone, yes; unsure, I don't think so. There's something in Emily that allows her to deny any reality she doesn't like. She's stiff and unbending; she's described in terms of a "tableau," an "icon," and her hair is "iron" gray. I can't imagine her as unsure, or having deep emotions.

My impression is that the Colonel paid her taxes for Emily because she refused to pay them! She wouldn't bend, so the Col. bent. Faulkner hints that the Col. made up the story about her father making a loan to the town, and that this was his way of paying him back. There's a phrase that I can't find now.

I think the key to Emily and her actions is at the end of Part II: "...we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her...": in other words, her father. And notice the resemblance between Homer and her father.

As I see it, she never lost her father because she found ways to keep him in her life -- in one way or another ::shudder::

But all that's just my point of view; I've been known to be wrong :-)

Answer 2

I love this story, and it sounds like you have some great ideas to follow. I think Miss Emily is a metaphor of the old South and people who cling to it. She's romantic to the point of madness, like Blanche duBois, but much sicker. She has abandonment issues, but she also never learned how to take care of herself. She was raised to be helpless and eventually becomes obsolete. The narrator in the story is really interesting as well; you might want to talk about that a bit too. It hints at how ostracized and alone Emily is.

Answer 3

i dont know if this is relevant but faulkner believed to write openly without reserve then the author needed to loose all inhibition,he did this by drinking heavily and regularly this allowed him to be inebriated but still lucid enough to write

Answer 4

You are on track dear. Keep thinking. You have things under control. Good luck. Pax- C

Answer 5

I just like the word "necrophilia".
By the way, sounds like you have a good paper going.

Answer 6

Your on the right path. I just love this story. what about Floyd the barber?