A Rose for Emily

A Rose for Emily, published in 1930 by William Faulkner, is a short story of Gothic horror
and tragedy. The action is set in the fictional Mississippi town of Jefferson, modelled after
the real Mississippi town, where the author spent most of his life. The events in the story
take place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This story is told in the perspective of
the townsfolk who referred to themselves in the plural. The story of Emily's life is told in a
non-linear way with the narrator jumping around in time.
The title "A Rose for Emily" holds profound significance in William Faulkner's short story,
encapsulating layers of symbolism and thematic depth that resonate throughout the
narrative such as:
The symbolism of the Rose: a symbol of love and affection. In the context of the story, it
represents the town's collective sentiment toward Emily Grierson a gesture of compassion
and understanding as if the townspeople are offering her a symbolic gesture of sympathy.
The rose is also a comparison to Emily’s life. She grows up in a comfortable environment
and has everything a child wants. This caused Emily to be very self–centered and thinks of
herself as superior to everyone else in the town even when her father dies. Like the most
beautiful rose in a garden, she is too proud of herself to leave a normal life as other people
and deny her high status which only exists in her thinking. She refuses to pay taxes,
ignores town gossip that she is a fallen woman. In my opinion, she is a victim of the
circumstance because she suffers from a lack of genuine love and care, and her
stubbornness is caused by her father’s overprotective treatment.
The main symbols followed in the story are: the dust, the monument and the strand of
hair.
In in this town Emily Grierson is a mysterious and very isolated figure. she's very much a
topic of gossip for the towns people over the course of her life, as her true identity remains
hidden, the house that shields her from the world suggests the mind of the woman who
inhabits it: shuttered, dusty and dark.
The Emily*s house is a symbolism like Emily herself, is a monument, the only
remaining emblem of a dying world of Southern aristocracy, the house also represents
mental illness and death. The only one with any access to her home is a black man servant
named Tobe who doesn't get anybody any information on her.
She lived with her father who was a very strict man, refusing to let her merry and when he
dies when she's 30 years old, she really doesn't know what to do, she was very dependent
on him, refusing to give up his corpse for days.
Eventually a labourer named Homer Barron comes into town much like Emily, is an
outsider, a stranger in town who becomes the subject of gossip, the death of her father left
a huge void. Emily attempts to fill it with a relationship with Homer Barron. He was gay
and didn't felt the same way, but she didn't accept this, testifies to the unrealistic way she
viewed love and human relationships and her refusal to face reality. She was so scared to
lose the most important person in her life a second time that later, she poisons him with
arsenic and keeps his body in her bed for decades.
She continues to act strangely, to the point where people don't know how to confront her
when a terrible odour starts to emanate from her home, and the towns people even blame it
on Tobe as the years go by.
Emily ages and the narrators make note of her having this long grey hair. Eventually Emily
grows very old and dies and the towns people finally have access to her home.
When they reached Emily's bedroom they found the doors locked so they break it down
and when they look on the bed, his decomposed corpse, which has clearly been there for
many years, is still there. They noticed that on the pillow beside him there's an indent
where ahead has been in a single strand, a long grey hair. a reminder of love lost and the
often perverse things people do in their pursuit of happiness. The strand of hair also
reveals the inner life of a woman who was committed to living life on her own terms and
not submitting her behaviour, no matter how shocking, to the approval of others was.
The dust as symbol underscoring the decay and decline that figure so prominently. The
dust throughout Emily’s house is a fitting accompaniment to the faded lives within. The
house is a place, where regrets and memories have remained undisturbed. In a way, the
dust is a protective presence. The layers of dust also suggest the cloud of obscurity that
hides Emily’s true nature and the secrets her house contains.
Despite the horrific implications of this, I do find Emily to be a really tragic figure. She
has been isolated her entire life to the point where that is all she truly knows. Even after
her father's death, and despite seemingly having a strong will and a capacity for violence
such as apparently poisoning Homer, it's clear that these actions are born out of fear. This
fear of change and abandonment was instilled in her by her father, and so she found a way
to keep Homer with her forever. "A Rose for Emily" is a touching exploration of the
human psyche, revealing the consequences of isolation, fear, and the relentless pursuit of
the familiar. Emily Grierson's tragic life is a testament to the profound impact of
upbringing and societal expectations on an individual's psyche. Faulkner weaves a
narrative that goes beyond the surface, diving into the complexities of human nature and
the devastating consequences of a life lived in isolation.
 Miriam
Truman Capote was an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and actor who
was born on September 30 1924 and died on August 25, 1984. He is best known for his
short novel, Breakfast at Tiffany, published in 1958. It and its true crime novel In Cold
Blood in 1966.
His first published short story was titled Miriam, and it was published in June 1945. The
story that falls within the genre of Southern Gothic fiction, characterized by elements such
as the macabre, grotesque. The story deals with the issues of isolation, loneliness, insanity,
double personality disorder, schizophrenia, and the supernatural.
The story revolves around the life of the protagonist, Mrs. H. T. Miller, a middle-aged
woman living alone in an apartment building. Her mundane routine is interrupted by the
introduction of Miriam, a peculiar girl who claims to be a neighbor's granddaughter.
Initially, Mrs. Miller indulges Miriam's strange behavior, allowing her into her life with
the hope of finding companionship. However, as Miriam's presence becomes increasingly
intrusive and menacing, Mrs. Miller's mental and emotional stability deteriorate.
Using the formal title "Mrs. H. T. Miller" emphasizes the character's social status and the
formality that may be associated with her. It suggests a level of respect or adherence to
social conventions it can also may be a way for Capote to emphasize the character's
identity within the story. It could be a stylistic choice to highlight her as an individual with
a specific background or history. It creates a sense of specificity, making her stand out and
drawing attention to her character in a particular way.
Miriam appears to wake her from a deep sleep and a state of oblivion, despite her young
age, she possesses an strange feeling that is alarming to both Mrs. Miller and the readers.
Her ethereal beauty, odd mannerisms, and uncanny ability get into Mrs. Miller's deepest
fears and insecurities create an unsettling atmosphere throughout the narrative. Miriam's
dark nature becomes progressively pronounced, leading Mrs. Miller to question the
authenticity of the girl and the extent of her own sanity.
As Mrs. Miller unravels, the line between what is real and what is imagined becomes
blurred. Capote presents a narrative that allows readers to question whether Miriam is a
physical manifestation or a illusion of Mrs. Miller's imagination. This ambiguity serves to
highlight the fragility of the human mind and the profound impact that loneliness and
isolation can have on an individual's sanity.
There are a lot of symbols connected to mrs. Millers preparation for death and it allows us
the interpretation of this story dealing with oncoming death and its connection with
Miriam, viewed as something supernatural. It seems like she is changing her personality
according to the gender and name of her next ,,victim,, but always looks unearthly – her
silver-white her, fragile body, eyes lacking, strange clothes. This description suggests that
Miriam is a kind of ghost because it seems that nobody else can see her except mrs Miller
She used to live a stereotypical life and because of that she is courios in the beginning
when she meets Miriam because it seems like an upcoming change in her life, they were
both called Miriam which mrs Miller find it funny.
Miriam stands for the personality that was suppressed by Mrs. Miller, but this double self
appears when the woman steps out of her everyday routine and decides to do something
out of the ordinary. Besides mortality and loneliness, Mrs. Miller also fears changes and
being different. She lives in her own environment in an encapsulated internal world which
she longs to escape but cannot do it. That is why Miriam serves as a sort of self-revelation,
and the nightmare reveals her defenselessness, loneliness, and helplessness. The girl
reminds her of her own childhood and helps to understand what she is and what she wants.
The dark tone of the whole story allows the reader feel the grief of Mrs. Miller because she
really cannot come to terms with her alter ego and accept her loneliness.
The detail that Mrs. H. T. Miller loves sweets may carry some significance, contributing to
the characterization and themes within the narrative a detail might be interpreted as
Symbolism of pleasure and comfort, coping mechanism, routine and stability or even mrs.
Miller's love for sweets could be used for foreshadowing or creating contrast. For
example, if her life takes a dark turn, the contrast between her love for sweets and the
unfolding events might be significant.
In brief, this story describes how people prepare themselves for death, even if they do it
unconsciously and the death is represented by the small girl Miriam as the herald of death.
 The black cat
Edgar Allan Poe, a master of macabre storytelling, delves into the darkest corners of the
human psyche in his gripping tale, "The Black Cat." Published in 1843, this short story
unfolds as a chilling exploration of guilt, madness, and the supernatural. Poe employs a
first-person narrative, to provide readers with a direct and unsettling view into the mind of
the protagonist. The narrator, tormented by his actions.
The first evidence that Poe gives the reader of the narrator for being unreliable is his
uncontrolled fury. The narrator states, 'The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew
myself no longer'. Meaning that his rage wasn't coming from himself at all, but by a dark
spirit that had taken over his body. He is no longer in control of his actions. There could be
a mysterious connection between the cat Pluto and the narrator.
The narrator can be characterized as unreliable because of his abuse of alcohol. Although
at the beginning of his confession, at the time when he was normal and humane, Pluto was
his favorite pet and for many years they shared a special connection. But that was about to
change for the narrator becomes short-tempered and hurts the poor cat.
For instance, the narrator claims, "I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more
regardless of the feelings of others. ". People seem to lose control over their actions while
under the influence of alcohol, and incline to mostly doing bad deeds. As he grows
heartless, the narrator is not able to control his desire to do evil. One night he comes home
from drinking, and out of nowhere he feels irritated towards the cat and cuts his eye out
"But my disease grew upon me-for what disease is like Alcohol. Once under the influence
of alcohol, there is no way of coming back to a sane mind. It becomes an addiction and
many people won't surrender, thinking that they find peace and comfort in it. Because of
his continuous use of alcohol throughout the years he became unrecognized even by
himself.
Then suddenly, he undergoes a significant change which leads to a darker troublesome
road Finally, the narrator is unreliable for having an inhumane outburst. This is accurate
due to the following, 'Goaded, by the interference, into a rage more than demonical. I
withdrew my arm from her grasp and buried the axe in her brain, his loving wife tried to
stop him from hurting the cat He loses control and his reaction was cold-hearted hiding her
body in the basement walls with no remorse. Generally, a person with this type of actions,
are not in their right mind. How could someone react so cruelly to a simple gesture? This
leads the reader to believe that the narrator is a psychopath. The deceitful narrator can be
seen as unreliable, mainly because he seems to be psychotic. He has no way of stopping
his anger, which takes a toll on his personal life with his family and pets. With no self-
control towards his actions, he sinks into extreme alcoholism. In conclusion, his
characteristics change drastically in a matter of time; ending the life of his loving pet and
wife instantaneous.
The symbolism of the black cat
The name Pluto comes from the Roman god of the underworld. It could be that the
storyteller was possessed by this spirit from the underworld. Therefore, the narrator is
filled with immense anger towards Pluto and wishes to do evil.
The narrator’s wife
As a reference to the medieval stereotype associating black cats with witches. This occurs
after the narrator and his wife acquire a second black cat, resembling the first one, but with
a white patch on its chest. The wife expresses unease and superstition about the cat's
appearance, alluding to the prevailing beliefs of the time. During that period, black cats
were sometimes associated with witchcraft and considered to be familiars or shape-shifted
witches. This superstition contributed to the persecution of both cats and women during
witch hunts.
The chimera element: As the narrator descends into alcoholism and moral degradation,
his perception of the cat changes. The once-beloved pet transforms into a symbolic
chimera, representing the narrator's guilty conscience and internal conflict
The Supernatural Element: Poe blurs the lines between the natural and the supernatural,
a recurring theme in his works. The eerie reappearance of Pluto, despite its demise,
introduces an otherworldly element. This spectral return intensifies the story's horror,
suggesting that the narrator's sins have summoned forces beyond the realm of the living.
This transformation is not a physical change in the cat itself but a manifestation of the
narrator's disturbed state of mind. The chimera element in "The Black Cat" serves as a
powerful symbol of the narrator's inner demons and moral decay. It contributes to the eerie
and Gothic atmosphere of the story, emphasizing the psychological horror that permeates
Poe's narrative.
Poe addresses societal issues of his time, such as alcoholism and domestic violence,
through the lens of horror. The narrator's descent into alcohol-fueled brutality reflects
Poe's commentary on the destructive consequences of substance abuse and its impact on
interpersonal relationships.
The Cat's Revenge: In the story's climax, the second black cat, a manifestation of the
narrator's guilt, leads to his ultimate downfall. The cat's strategic reveal of the bricked-up
corpse exposes the narrator's crimes and seals his fate. This twist intensifies the horror,
leaving readers with a sense of poetic justice.
In conclusion, the metamorphosis of the cat in "The Black Cat" is a powerful narrative
device used by Poe to convey the psychological and supernatural dimensions of the story.
Through the transformation of a once-beloved companion into a spectral force of
retribution, Poe masterfully weaves a tale that explores guilt, moral decay, and the
inescapable consequences of one's actions. The cat's metamorphosis becomes a chilling
symbol of the narrator's descent into darkness, adding a layer of horror and complexity to
this timeless Gothic tale.