Theme of Death in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay

Theme of Death in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily William Faulkners A Rose for Emily is a tragic tale of a Southern aristocrat, Miss Emily Grierson, who is the subject of a towns obsession. The narrator, a member of the town, tells the story of what transpires in a decaying old Southern house that is always under the watchful eye of the townspeople. They witness Miss Emilys life, her fathers death, her turn to insanity and the death of both her and her lover. The theme of death runs throughout this tale, which is understandable considering the events that take place in the story. Faulkner uses foreshadowing to foretell events that will transpire later in the story. Because of this foreshadowing, a reader†¦show more content†¦This description of Emilys hair is important, because one of Emilys hairs will be found next to Homers body, and it also shows how Emily is decaying like the house and items inside. Early in the story Emily writes a letter on stationary of an archaic shape and with fading ink. The references here are to the way she is always described growing older and decaying. Even Emilys house shares her short squat characteristic and coquettish decay. The insanity of Miss Emily is also foretold in A Rose for Emily. When the body of Homer is found in her bed, the reader can understand that Emily killed him, because her mental stability had been questioned a number of times. The narrator begins these allusions to her mental state when he tells how the mayor, Colonel Sartoris, bestows a special tax exemption upon Miss Emily. Colonel Sartoris makes up a story so unbelievable that it is described as so outlandish that only a woman could have believed it. Later, the townspeople talk about her great-aunt, the lady Wyatt, who had gone completely crazy. They wonder about poor Emily with the insanity in her family. Her mental state comes into question again when the town removes the body of her father. She is said to have broke down and finally let them in to take and bury the body. This is an obvious analogy to her having a mental breakdown. This is followed with the statement that the townspeople didShow MoreRelatedEs say on Oh Who Will Protect Poor Emily?1027 Words   |  5 PagesIn Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, there is a constant theme of protection for Emily Grierson, because she was a woman living in the south after the civil war and the requirements that were placed on women enable to be honorable. That is to say that, women needed to be protected by the men of the community during that time in history and women’s actions were constantly under watch to see if a woman was honorable and worthy of protection or not. 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