“A and demands of a women during
“A Rose for Emily” is social standard text, which perfectly presents the role and demands of a women during the 20th century. This short story would represent the society’s perception of a female.
Every individual lives in a similar society and is influenced by the traditions and principles it provides them with. A society is an “establishment” which it gives the right to for people to judge others. Thus, people produce a strong sense of one’s responsibility for another.
In “A Rose for Emily”, Miss Emily gets into this situation. The Jefferson’s town people feels obligated to take care of Miss Emily and control her decisions. Throughout the story, she is talked about by her peers, and portrayed as a weak and dependent woman. When her father passes away she is left alone. She does not have a male figure to provide care for her, so the town committee decides to discharge her tax obligations. The people of the town tried to shelter her needs by offering their help and empathy.
They also try to be forgiving with her strangeness of having something to do with a Yankee. The town people’s action of retaking of Miss Emily represents the recognition of women during that period of time. Their belief that a woman without a man is just plain helpless. She has a hard time functioning properly in the society she lives in.
Miss Emily is portrayed as a lost lonely outsider where she lives in a town full of expectations that she could not meet. The short story is based on a female position and her interaction with society where a woman is controlled by men. She is taught and forced to live according to the well-established principles and rules of the town.
Where if women would disobey the men it will result in condemnation and isolation. Therefore, woman remains in the shadows and do not go beyond their restrictions. When Emily was younger, her deceased father used to force away all the young men that would like to get to know Miss. Emily. After Emily’s father’s death she falls in love with a “Yankee” named Homer Baron.
Everyone in the town was gossiping about their relationship. ”Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer” (Paragraph, 32). Right after when Miss Emily goes out riding with Homer Baron. She is seen beneath him, socially, according to the narrator. “Then some of the ladies began to say that it was a disgrace to the town and a bad example to young people” (Paragraph, 45).
Because Emily’s behavior is not the behavior one would expect of someone of her social statues, and yet Miss Emily shows little to no importance for the social conversations of the town about her, she still does whatever she pleases. The story commerces of with Ms. Emily’s funeral.
It states that “The men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house” (Paragraph, 1). As it is seen in the text, Miss. Emily was an absolute mystery to the town people. When the deputies came to Miss.
Emily’s house to notify ber about the taxes, Faulkner the author describes how the vibe of the house gave off and how Miss. Emily reacted “Only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons… among eyesores,” (Paragraph, 2). This explains how the house gave off an intentense depressing vibe. To the situation.
As stated in the text no one would go in to the house, the only person who comes in and out is Toby, the butler. When Miss Emily lost her only parental figure, she denied that he was dead for 3 days. Miss Emily was left with the house which later got boarded up. This added to more isolation. In the story, the people’s point of view towards Emily actually shadowed what society’s valued back then.
Although the town people did not have direct connections with Emily, their perspective towards on her and her family affected her life. The town peoples respect towards her family influenced her father to keep her sheltered from society. As seen in the story her father controlled her completely. So after her father’s death she rebelled and found love with Homer and neglected the town people’s judgements.
The theme of the short story also explains why Emily can not completely accept changes. Emily refuses to accept changes to her new life. One example of Emily’s helplessness to deal with change and of her strange personality is shown by Emily’s not wanting to pay her taxes. The structure of the short story symbolizes the disorganization of Emily’s life.
Which represents that Emily is completely lost in another world and can not process reality. In conclusion, there are many characteristics that were included into “A Rose for Emily”. Faulkner created a short story involving many visions and perspectives about the expectations of society and how those perspectives functioned at that period of time in the South.
He explains how there is a double standard for women and men. Faulkner shares with us how society controlled women. And how Emily was just a lost child in a town of moderend people. In “A Rose for Emily,” Faulkner shows the tragedy outcome of our beliefs towards social roles that constrain, rather than liberate, our true selves as people.
