-
A rose for Emily
This story
happens after the American Civil War, in Jefferson
Town. It
’
s a story about
an eccentric spinster named Emily
Grierson whose marriage is totally manipulated by
her
father.
Two
years
after
her
father
’
s
death,
poor
Emily
is
acquainted
with
a
northerner
called Homer Barron, a day laborer and
she falls in love with him. However, their
relation
is short-lived as Homer
becomes tired of her and intends to get rid of
her. In order to keep
Homer at hand,
Emily kills him with arsenic and
“
obtain
”
him, thus, she
sleeps with his
corpse
for
decades.
This
is
the
truth
that
villagers
find
after
her
death.
From
my
own
perspective, this masterpiece
reflects
the decline
of the southern society
and
reveals
the
conflicts
between
the
two
different
value
systems
and
two
societies
after
the
American
Civil War. Then, I will explain my
opinions from the following three aspects:
character,
symbol and setting.
Emily is an embodiment of the south,
the old and tradition. At the very beginning of
this story, the writer recounts the
decoration of her house which is still 1870s
style, isn
’
t
change any more.
Besides,
she is
also obstinate.
When
the new
government compel the
taxes on her
，
she
refuses to pay the tax and even ridiculously
mentions a colonel who has
been dead
almost ten years. Another example is that she
prevents people from installing
mail-
box on the wall. She keeps the traditional views
all the long
，
but resists to
change
anything. However, poor Emily is
a determined woman. Regardless of
people
’
s criticism,
she insists on marrying a northerner
whose social position is apparently lower than
her. It
is known that in that period of
time, hierarchy is prevailing and deep-rooted
through out
the society. It
particularly has a profound influence on marriage.
When someone chooses a
partner,
he
or
she
must
consider
the
social
position
of
the
other
party
to
the
marriage.
However,
Emily
chooses
to
disobey
the
convention
and
challenges
tradition.
Given
this
situation, her failure is quite
expectable. However, she cannot get rid of the
shackles of the
Southern
conventions.
After
all,
she
captures
her
lover
in
her
own
way
and
the
love
is
treated with honor.
Her
father,
the
old
Grierson,
is
also
an
incarnation
of
the
South,
patriarchy
and
tradition. He was very fastidious about
her daughter
’
s marriage and
drove away every man