CC 2 By 2.0
Please answer one of the following questions. Please refer to the text in your response.
For what reasons might the story be told from such an atypical point of view (1st person plural “we”)?
What might be reasons for the nonlinear timeline of this story?
157 thoughts on “Week 4”
“A rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a short story about a mysterious woman called Emily. The setting of the story takes place in an small town where the town members seam to know everyone and have grown together for generation. William Faulkner uses a very specific point of view (1st person plural “we”) in order to create a sense of distance between the town and Emily. While reading the story, one might feel that the town gossips about this abnormal woman and knows about her every movement. By using “we” the reader feels as if they are part of the we, thus being part of the community. In a way this distances us from the protagonist and gives us a powerful sense of mystery. Very similar to Boo Radley from “To Kill A Mocking Bird”, the town treats Emily as an outsider. The narration of the story creates stronger feelings for the reader when the climax is reached. I personally felt as if I was in the room finding that “long strand of iron-gray hair”. The nonlinear timeline of the story gives the reader a background understand of the town and the generations it has gone through, yet keeps Emily as the protagonist. Her husband Homer Barron was mentioned several times in the beginning of the story. By changing the topic and giving the reader more information about Emily and the town, the reader starts to forget about Homer Barron who mysteriously disappeared. This writing style gives the ending a much more dramatic and surprising affect.
– section 0504
I agree with David Bar-Aharon that the way the story is told is that the neighbor knows much more about Emily’s life than they were supposed. and yes the author created a sense of distance between the town and Emily. They chose to use “we” so that the reader feels as if they are part of the we, thus being part of the community, and it helps understand the story better. Also I like the fact that you talked about how the author made the timeline on how to tell the story.
0503
A rose for Emily is told from first person plural, the author uses words like, “we” or “our”. It is told this way to make you feel it’s the story of the towns people and empathize or be a part of the plot. They use those words to make you feel like you are a part of the story with them. It could also be written like this because the narrator could be voice of the community. It makes me feel like it is being told from multiple perspectives but told by one narrator as if he is the spokesperson of the community or maybe their collective voice or conscious. In a way it creates a sense of mystery about Emily because she isn’t really included in “we” so it makes the reader wonder things about this woman that all the townspeople gossip about. The story is not told in chronological order, I feel it’s done that way to make the reader feel like they are a part of the timeline or in the town experiencing it too, it makes you feel like you belong in the town with them.
section 0503
Hello Heather,
I agree, the author seems to want “us” the reader to be a part of the community. Emily had very nosey neighbors, in my opinion. In addition, including us into the community influenced the reader to share the same judgements. William Faulkner seemed to understand how these tactics added to his horror story. He writes well and considers many aspects to create suspense and shock. I also watched the film, Angelica Houston starred as Emily which added to the mystery and eerie feeling of the character. She has played many roles such as, Morticia which is a gothic character as well.
I agree with you Heather as you said the plot of the story narrated the point of view as the plural of the word “we”. To show the community people are speaking through Emily. As well to show the town people are whispering about Emily.
Also. I agree the story is not in order its kind of mix.
section(0534)
Forida, it’s great to hear from you! Please be sure that all your comments meet the length requirements. Please review “Information abut Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION.
Hi Heather,
It definitely felt like I was a part of the story and I also felt a strong attachment to more Ms Emily. I felt more in a time loop when it comes to the timeline that continued skipping around. The story was definitely the plot narrated from the point of view as the plural of the word “we” showing how the community people are speaking through Emily instead of her having her own say. Additionally, by including us into the community we also had the same influence on us as the readers to share those same judgements.
Section: 0503
Hi Heather!
It definitely made me feel apart of the story and I felt more attached to Ms Emily. I felt more in a time loop when it comes to the time line that continued skipping around. I also felt that I was experiencing the gossip and drama also. But, to be honest I felt that Emily had really nosey people in her town.
Hello Heather,
I like what you wrote one you said, “In a way it creates a sense of mystery about Emily because she isn’t really included in “we” so it makes the reader wonder things about this woman that all the townspeople gossip about.” This is the same point of view I had on the reason why it’s not told in a first person narrative. The constant switch between first person and third person narrative, is indicative of someone who may not have seen firsthand all the events of the plot. So different viewpoints are being told of Emily and the reader may not ever know who Emily truly was.
What might be the reasons for the nonlinear timeline of this story?
In my opinion, the story “A rose for Emely” begins at the end to keep the readers captivated within the plot. When we read the first sentence of the short story we were once intrigued by how Miss Emely died. I believe that the story is told in an anachronistic order to give more suspense and excitement to the plot. Keeping readers entertained by decoding time. Confusion is an element that the author uses to create subtly terror. Another reason could be the disorder that could exist in the life of Miss Emely herself. Where she is paralyzed in time and refuses to watch time pass, and denying reality. We see this when her father died and she said that he was not dead and when she refused to put a mailbox in her house. Another reason would be to give a more somber vision to the time and place where the plot was developed. A clear example of this would be the confinement in which Miss Emely lived by her father and when she was pointed out by the people when homer Barron left. Its a kind of sensationalism and realism that keeps readers trapped inside the story, just as Miss Emely was at home.
Seccion 0534
Raquel, thanks for the good comments. I especially like what you write about the confusion and mental disorder in Miss Emily’s life. I also like the phrase “trapped inside the story.” For Miss Emily, time is frozen. As you may have noted, in many descriptions of her, she is depicted as something immobile and inanimate, like a sculpture or painting. Life goes on around her, but she stays fixed in a frozen moment she cannot seem to move beyond.
Hey Raquel,
The reader does feel captivated in the plot indeed. The narrative and the nonlinear timeline of the story give the reader a sense of connection to the plot and creates a mysterious atmosphere. Starting subtly with the ending is a great way to create a nonlinear effect. I liked that your mentioned confusion being used to create terror. I, as the reader felt that immensely. Emely was not only trapped inside the story by also in herself. She obviously does not follow the systems and norms society has created. Enjoyed reading your comment, thank you.
The 6th question on the quiz is not done right. The 3 answer choice is just a blank space. I only have choices 1 and 2 and neither of them seem right.
Christopher, you’re right that there is a problem with that question. I will take that into account when grading.
The narrator in “A Rose for Emily” serves as the voice of the community by using “we” throughout the story. Nobody truly knows anything about Emily and by using “we” the narrator is putting her story together by using the town’s knowledge and opinion. I also believe that by using “we” it also puts the reader as part of the story, trying to figure out Emily’s story like the people in the town. The narrator also carefully pieces the story together including all the important details such as Emily’s hair:
“When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray. During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper-and-salt iron-gray, when it ceased turning. Up to the day of her death at seventy-four it was still that vigorous iron-gray, like the hair of an active man.”
This is an important part of the story because in the end “we” realize the shocking ending:
“we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.”
By using “we” the reader is pulled into the story and trying to figure out who Emily really is.
The narrator uses the nonlinear timeline of this story because the narrator wants to create suspense. The narrator starts the story with Emily’s death and going back in time and presenting her as someone who seemed like a decent lady but as the story continues we start to realize that Emily is not what “we” or the townspeople expected her to be. This helps create a shocking ending and leaving the reader stunned.
Section 0503
Hello Angela,
I too came to this conclusion. William Faulkner build a suspenseful horror story. The details used to describe her home such as cracks in her leather couches and dust rising from sitting on them, gave a gothic feel. Emily was selfishly grim. Her neighbors did not care much for her even when they considered her as “poor emily.” We were drawn in as part of that community when Faulkner makes the narrator a “we.”
Angela, thanks for the good observations. Yes, it’s true that one reason the story is told in this pieced-together fashion is because there is no one person who is close enough to Emily to tell her story from start to finish. This underscores her isolation and loneliness. And yes, we the readers become the “we” of the story as the tragedy unfolds.
Hello Angela,
I do believe the writer was building suspense that’s why the narrator use a nonlinear timeline. The events in “A Rose for Emily” are not in the customary course of chronological order because the author aims to instill in the reader a sense of belonging to the setting. I believe going through the different points of flashback enables the reader to feel like the crowd of townsfolk, who were ever-curious about Emily and what transpired inside her rather ramshackle house.
” A rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a story about a mysterious women called Emily. In this story, I think the author used the pronoun “we” because he wanted to talked about multiple people who was dealing with Emily. William Faulkner wanted to generalized who he was talking about. If we take a closer look at how the story was generated it seems that Emily is on the center but multiple other characters will have to deal, complain about her, maybe because they were all in the same logic and same opinion about her, I think it make sense to use the pronoun “we”.
0503
Souadou, I think you might revisit this question. In many stories, characters view the protagonist, but it is unusual for multiple characters to be telling the story. I think you need to dig a bit deeper into the question of why the story must be told this way. Also, please make sure your comments meet the length requirements. Review “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION. This is located in the main menu at the top of the page.
In “A Rose for Emily”, we the readers are told this story from a first person point of view. Not only does the the narrator make me feel like I’m a part of the multiple time periods but also makes me feel as if I were one of the townspeople. In a way, it seems as if the narrator wants the reader to indulge in the story and it works. The timeline is a bit mixed up. I had to read the story a couple of times and make a small timeline in order to understand the story correctly. At first, I had a theory that it was told in a mixed up timeline to determine that Emily was losing her mind and it was hard for her to grasp on to a more present reality after her father’s death. In order to fully understand Emily’s actions in the end, the narrator had to start by mentioning her death. It eventually it explains as to why everyone was curious to see the home. It also explains as to why the house smelled really bad after Homer had moved in and was never seen again. The story feels like a bit of a zig-zag but eventually it’s clear that she killed him because he didn’t want to get married and was clearly into guys. In a way “till death do us part” really applies here.
-Section 0504
Nathaly, you make some very good comments here both about the narrative voice and the nonlinear timeline. I have to mention, however, that we should not assume that Homer Barron was gay because we are told that he likes the company of men. He maybe what we sometimes call “a man’s man.” It would be unusual for homosexuality to be raised as an issue in a story set in this time and place as it would be so shocking as to detract from the central themes. We always have to keep historical context in mind when we read literature.
Hello Professor,
I finally understand how historical context needs to be applied here. Even then, I still think that considering majority of the story is based on the narrator’s word, it could just be gossip. Assuming that Homer was indeed homosexual.
Nathaly, I wonder if in this context these old white Southern ladies would even let the thought cross their minds. At these times, homosexuality was considered both deviant and a mental disorder.
I agree with you Nathaly Ponce. Faulkner gets us involved with the characters. I had to also read the story twice to get my observations right. Emily just finds it hard to believe reality. She finds it hard to get accustomed to what is happening in the present than in the past. The movie even gives a visual description of Emily’s descriptive behavior. The end story explains why events happened previously.
The story is told in an atypical way because it enhances the focus on the main charter. It helps the reader highlight Emily’s pain and struggle. It helps remove individual judgments and enhances a collective point of view.
By writing this story from an atypical point of view helps the reader understand the towns people as a whole community. By using “we” the reader can understand the towns people as one collective entity. This also helps dramatize the narrative as the story is told in a nonlinear way.
The Author notes, “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.” In this quote you can feel the sorrow and compassion as they investigate the past. Her father had driven all the young men away, robbing her of her youth and the duties as a woman. In the time this story was written the women had very few things to look forward to. The chance of marriage was taken away from Emily. The lack of a husband was, and It is still a big deal for some cultures. Making Emily and her past the talk of the town.
Section 0503
Hello Kevin,
I believe that Faulkner did want to make us, as readers, have sympathy for Emily. By including that the father kept her away from men it created a justification for her murdering Homer Barron. Faulkner coerced the reader’s judgments, perception and emotions by including us as the community. I think it is brilliant especially for a horror story. The ending was enhanced with this strategy and everyone still viewed Miss Emily as the victim.
Hello Kevin, I agree that the story is told in an atypical way to enhance the focus on the main character. Also, by the narrator grouping, the reader and himself as one of the townspeople adds to the drama and, to an extent, clouds our judgment. As you said, doing that does leave the reader having sympathy for Emily knowing her pain and struggle collectively along with the townspeople. I believe its a great way to add mystery as well.
Kevin, thanks for the thoughtful comments. I think it’s true that the narrative voice helps us understand the town’s perspective on Miss Emily. Even though you do not elaborate on what this perspective is about, you make a very important observation at the end of your post when you write that Emily suffered from the “lack of a husband,” which conferred both respect and protection at this time and in this place.
Kevin, thanks for the comments. I appreciate your sympathetic view of Miss Emily. I think modern readers, who have some sense of psychology, can understand, though not condone, what she is driven to do. The author himself has said that he pities her as the victim of a selfish father, as you note in your post. Just one note—and this is for everyone—the author and narrator are not the same. An author creates a narrator to tell his or her story. In this case, the narrative voice is very unusual.
Hey Kevin, the story is definitely told in an atypical way to retain the focus on the main character and to keep up with her. You can’t help but also sympathize with Emily because of what she’s going through with the townspeople and the pain she’s going through herself. While reading we can get the sense of Emily also being a cold hearted, delusional, and deranged character due to her losing her father. However, we can also view this as a way out for Emily to live her life and sadly it wasn’t because she then had to deal with the townspeople just as she did her father.
Section: 0503
The nonlinear timeline of “A Rose for Emily,” written by William Faulkner was a strategic plan to increase suspense and impact for the conclusion. The film gave a better view of this theory. In our interactive assignment one of the paragraphs implied the theme of the story was of love and loyalty. However, the only real love and loyalty I witnessed was that of Emily and the butler. He was there through the death of her father, kept her grim secrets and stood with her until death. Her desire to keep Homer even in his death was similar to the young hunter’s desire to capture the white heron and make taxidermy out of the bird. Emily was no Juliet, willing to no longer exist in a world that Romeo did not live. Emily was coldhearted, delusional and deranged.
section 0504 / Please forgive me for including my section in a reply, there is no way to edit in into my first response. I forgot to do so.
Arlene, I appreciate your sensitivity to my craziness about section numbers. At the same, I totally know that I do the same time in a million different scenarios. I know we all forget, especially when our focus is on something more intellectual. All I ask is that everyone try his or her best to remember. I know it won’t happen every time.
Hello Arlene, I agree that the nonlinear timeline does create suspense, it draws you in and makes you feel like you’re going through the events with them. I love the connection you made about the hunter and the heron with Emily’s desire to keep Homer with her. It’s interesting on how their wants and obsessions are so similar in regards to the heron becoming a taxidermy object and Emily keeping Homer’s dead body with her.
Arlene, I think the nonlinear way this story was written does enhance suspense. I also agree that the film helped with piecing the story together and really getting an understanding of why the story was told the way it was. It is very interesting your comment of the butler to Emily. I agree with you that there was a great level of loyalty there. Great response!
Hi Aelene,
I agree with you that Emily was indeed coldhearted, delusional and deranged. I believe that Emily became this way because of the loss of her father. When her father died, she didn’t want to believe it and wanted his body to stay but eventually she had to give in and his body was buried to the ground. When she realized that Homer had no intention of marrying her, she decides to poison him and keep him to herself. Emily was afraid that if the townspeople knew Homer was dead, they would try to take his body away from her just like how they took her father’s body… so she kept Homer to herself, making sure she was never alone again.
Section 0503
A “Rose for Emily” is a short story that illustrates the life of a young woman named Emily Grierson. Emily was a very abstruse woman, who lived with her father and their servant Tobe. No one really had access to Emily’s life and knew only with what they have seen or heard. This short story is being told from the first-person plural “we.” I believe this is used to set the mood of the story and to help us, the readers, to feel more immersed in it. As well as to help express the detachment that our main character and the rest of the townspeople had.
The story is Written very ominously and incorporating “we” help carry out that mysteriousness. The storyline from time to time jumps around and gives off the impression that there is some uncertainty in the narration. Meaning, whoever is telling Emily’s life story isn’t someone she is close too and isn’t seeing things happen firsthand.
The townspeople were portrayed as “critics”, they, watched and spoke around town about the Grierson family. The story seems to be told through the townspeople. As I read the story I felt as if I was one of the townspeople weighing in on the gossip, watching and telling her story.
-section 0534
Yes, Senia, what you say about the narrator here is true. Miss Emily’s is pieced together because no one has ever been close enough to her to tell the whole story of her life. The narrative reminds me a bit of how people talk about someone at a funeral or memorial, each telling of a personal memory of the deceased.
As we learn during this course, the narrator is a storyteller which his identity is unknown. The narrator can be someone (a character) that is part of the plot, or it can be a third-person telling the story from its point of view. “A Rose for Emily” is an example of a story told by a narrator. And although we do not know for a fact that the narrator is part of the plot while reading “A Rose for Emily” we get the feeling he is part of the story, so why is that?
The fact that the narrator chooses to tell his story using a plural point of view as “we” is what gives us a feeling that he is part of the story. Not only that it gives us the feeling the narrator is part of the plot when he refers us as a “we” we feel like we are also part of the community. “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that…”
The use of the plural “we” affects our experience as readers in a few ways:
1. While reading “we” the reader feels like he is part of the group and part of the story. By being part of the community, we feel distances from Emily, we identify with the community feelings and thoughts, and we feel the mystery the way the community experience it as if we were there.
2. The use of “we” also represents the way the narrator feels about the situation. In the beginning, the narrator uses the plural “we” as an indicator that he is part of the group. At some point he changes the plural for “They” and by that separates himself from the community. “They waited until Miss Emily was decently in the ground before they opened it.” In this situation, the narrator excluded himself from the community since he felt the action of breaking down Emily’s door is more than he can take. By distancing himself from the act of breaking the door, we get the feeling that the narrator, whoever he might be, cared for Emily.
Section 0504
Hello Shai! – I just wanted to provide some additional textual evidence for why the “we” point of view is indeed people from the town and not just some arbitrary voice in the sky:
– “Presently we began to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons…” (4)
– “At first we were glad that Miss Emily would have an interest…” (4)
– “She carried her head high enough — even when we believed that she was fallen.” (5)
– “So she had blood-kin under her roof again and we sat back to watch developments.” (6)
Though I agree with you that the narrator can come from different points of view, just as a literary device, I disagree that there should be so much wondering into whether or not the “we” is actually from people in the town or not. Generations of the town (Jefferson, Mississippi – also, a real setting) all experience the uniqueness of Miss Emily – it is the town itself that is telling the story of Emily because it is only through the perception of the townspeople that this story is able to be told. (In other words, the narrator didn’t “choose” to narrate this way.)
Shai, I agree with you on many of your observations. I’m not sure there is a special relationship between the voice that tells the town’s collected story, however. Whoever that speaker is, he or she seems to be very much like all the other townspeople with no greater knowledge of Emily than anyone else. The whole town couldn’t go into the house and break down the door. There were probably just a few men. So I’m not sure that switch from “we” to “they” is telling of a more intimate relationship. However, I appreciate that in your close reading you noticed this switch.
The disjointed nature of town gossip supports William Faulkner’s use of a nonlinear timeline in “A Rose for Emily.” In my favorite passage from the story, Faulkner goes as far as giving some metaphorical foundation to this idea, finding “as the old do” that they “[confuse] time with its mathematical progression…to whom all the past is not a diminishing road but, instead, a huge meadow which no winter ever quite touches” (7). The story’s atypical point of view, seen from the perspective of the townspeople (the use of “we”) across generations, inevitably complicates and distorts the telling of events that have come to shape Miss Emily Grierson in her seventy-four years as Jefferson, Mississippi’s longstanding “hereditary obligation” (1). Faulkner’s choice of the word “sibilant” in describing the women of the town at Emily’s funeral is also the perfect way to articulate how gossip behaves; the sound of hissing that the adjective ‘sibilant’ defines also gives way to a sense of noisiness that surrounds the story’s timeline, the Grierson home, and Emily herself (7). At the end of the first section, the town aldermen, who come to visit Emily to inquire of her tax records, hear Emily’s “invisible watch ticking” as though time should even function properly in a room “spinning with slow motes in the single sun-ray” (2). Ultimately, Faulkner combines the loquaciousness of town gossip with the illusion of ‘fixed time’ to funnel a slow-burning suspense into a climax that leave the townspeople in a sort of self-confirmed traumatization.
– Section 0503
***Note: I’m of the belief that the movie adaptation is guilty of “Hollywoodizing” some features of the plot and style of Faulkner’s writing – notably in the depiction of her father’s death, the inside romancing between Emily and Homer, the absence of any attempt to collect taxes from Emily, the use of narrator, etc. – there’s a bunch! I don’t think the film should be used in any way as a source to reflect on this week’s prompt.
David, I agree that the film should not be the reference for this conversation. The story should be the only reference.
David, this is such a good discussion of the perception of time in this story. The quote you select about how time is viewed by the elderly is one of the most striking parts of the story for me because it is so true and is expressed so eloquently. The word “sibilant,” which you also quote speaks so powerfully of the whispery, frenetic nature of gossip, and yes, gossip tends to be disjointed. It is like the childhood game of “telephone.” It’s interesting how you contrast that noise with the silence of fixed time. Very interesting!
” A rose for Emily by William Faulkner is a story about a mysterious woman called Emily, who was living with her father in the same house. The story being told from a first person point of view, I think that is because the author wants us to feel we are also part of the plot and make us feel like we were Emilly’s neighbor and the story was happening in our presence. But also to emphasize that the neighbor was in the same logique about Emily because they were thinking the same about her, I think the fact that the author uses the first person plural “we” made it look collective for other characters beside the protagonist . The author starts by announcing Emily’s death then comes back telling about her mysterious life, the timeline is a bit back and forth which makes the story a little confusing to understand, even though the author includes many details about Emily’s life. Because when I was reading some part, the author made it look like dialogues, seeing that kind of conversation, it made me feel as if I was part of the story myself, or if the story was happening under my eyes.
0503
The story “A Rose for Emily” was told from an atypical point of view. I imagine the narrator used the first person plural “we” to classify the reader and himself as one of the townspeople. He makes us feel as though we are apart of the town’s speculations and drama. Keeping us intrigued while leaving some space to draw our own conclusions. Even though the narrator puts so much emphasis on how much energy the town puts into keeping tabs on Emily’s life, he also gives off the impression that he cares about her or at least is concerned. The story is told in a nonlinear timeline. It happens this way to create mystery. Also, the narrator is telling the story as he reflects on the events that took place. Doing so also allows us to focus on one situation at a time and gives us the opportunity to analyze Emily on being the way that she is.
Section 0534
Hello,
I also like how writer can disguise himself as one of the towns people. As you read the story you fell like the author knows Emily and truly feels for her.
The use of “we” in this story also helps awake curiosity.
When reading the story, I felt like I was in the small town. Speculating and trying to predict what would happen next.
Kevin, please be sure to address comments to others by name. Or is this an addition to your original post?
Sorry It was a reply to Faiths post.
Thank you.
Hello Kevin,
I agree that the use of “we” really scratches the surface of curiosity. The way the story’s timeline is all over the place due to the townspeople gossip, it’s almost as if while reading you’re watching a reality show.
Nathaly, please be aware of length requirements for posts. See “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION.
hi Faith, I agree with you when you said how we are left with some space to draw our own conclusions. I didn’t even realize that I was drawing my own conclusion with what happened with Emily, before and didn’t even realize it. This shows how interested we are with this story
Zaria, it’s great to hear from you. But please make sure your comments meet the length requirement. See “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION.
In “A rose for Emily” it seems like “we” is used to make you feel like you’re finding out everything when the town is finding out everything. It makes you feel like you’re apart of whatever rumor went around the town about Emily. at the end, when what she does gets revealed to the reader, it feels like the characters find out too. That makes it more intense than if it were just a story being told about something that already happened, because when you’re reading it and feeling surprised by the ending, you also think, wow what must they be thinking after finding that out? and The reason for the nonlinear timeline is because they want to show you how stuck Emily really is or is feeling. She seems depressed and cant move on with her life, and it shows when they talk about how she never updates anything in her life. nothing ever moves on with her. (section 0504)
Shakirah, I agree with you about making us as the reader feel very involved in the story. I like the way you are saying that we were also a part of that gossip and rumor spreading. Intense is a good way to describe the way the use of “we” made me feel as a reader. It was very intense to feel as though someone who was there is telling you the story directly. Good responce!!
Claire, please make sure that your comments are not just compliments or agreement with someone else. While this is generous of you, I’d like you to add to the discussion rather than just reinforce what has been said.
Hello Shakira,
First, I would like to thank you for your post and for sharing your thoughts with us.
I agree with your statement saying that the use of the plural point of view “we” is used in order to make is the readers feel like we are part of the town. We feel like we experience everything in the same way they experience it, we discover everything together, and we share the same feelings towards Emily.
In your post, you also mentioned the use of nonlinear. You mentioned the use of the nonlinear timeline as a way of showing how stuck in the past is Emily. I agree with that statement, but I think it may have another reason. I believe that by keeping a nonlinear timeline, the readers have the feeling as if the story is told by one of the neighbors. By changing the timeline of events, we feel like one of the town people is telling us the details he knows about the story, the way we all talk in our daily life. We can talk about an event that happened to us while referring to something else we experienced a while ago.
Some of the reasons why the story “A Rose for Emily” was told in a nonlinear timeline are kind of confusing meaning the author used a rough chronology of the story. From the very beginning to the very end we are told about Emily’s life and how she refuses to move in time. She refuses to move and do everything she needs to do to keep up with the new lifestyle I’ll say. She still sleeps with a men who has been death for about thirty years and she refuses to let it go, they sleep in a bed that looked like the room for a recent marriage. The author talk about Emily’s life as episodes because that’s what her life style was like, like a series of the different scenarios in her life each of them different, the town and the other perspective of life she had. Sec. 0503
Hello David Bar-Aharon. Thank you very much for commenting on my opinion. Really “A Rose for Emely” was a story that captivated me in a certain way. I even watched the movie. It is a story that immerses you, intrigues you, and leaves you with a taste of wanting to find out more about the story. “A Rose for Emely” was something that carried me back to that time and it was a story that I felt like my own. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you again.
Seccion 0534
The story “ A rose for Emily” By Williams Faulkner elaborates on a old women who’s fallen into a sunken and depressed stage because of her father dying and her deserted sweetheart. After her fathers death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people from the town hardly saw her at all. They tried to get in contact with her but they were ignore because of Emily’s depressed and saddle stage. The author Williams Faulkner created the story in a ( first person plural) “ we” context because they wanted to showcase different point of views and perspective from the town. They story narrates the upfront story from everyone in the town from a first person perspective because they had all live through this absent of Emily. The voice and depiction of the story was created from the community with everyone’s input. With different depiction of timelines the narrative of the story couldn’t be controlled because everyone had experienced something connected to Emily’s absent in the community and I made it difficult to connect what was what into a timeline.
Had*
section – 0503
Taheed, much of what you write about the narrative voice is true, but why must the story be told in this pieced-together way?
Section 0503
What might be reasons for the nonlinear timeline of this story?
I believe that using a nonlinear timeline is a more engaging way to tell a story. It almost reminds me of Romeo and Juliet where in the first few lines of the play, you know the tragic ending. It has the effect of keeping the reader interested. You know within the first paragraph that Emily has passed away. It is a more effective way to inform us (the reader) what influence she had on the town. Because, what is said at your funeral, is really the testament to your life. It also creates a need to foreshadow and keep you wondering what caused the smell? What caused the women to whisper about Emily and her relationship? Why is Emily buying poison? And being able to piece the puzzle together is a much more engaging and interesting way to tell this story. There is something different and again, engaging about having the narrator know more than we do as the reader.
Hi Claire, I agree with the idea that employing the use of nonlinear timeline in this story made it more engaging. I believe this technique gave an opportunity for readers to kind of develop their own imagination and create their own mini story line. You also bring up some great points about foreshadow and suspense. These are brilliant literary techniques used by the author throughout the course of the strory.
Claire, I love your analysis of the nonlinear timeline in this story. I absolutely agree that it sets the tone for the tale! We as readers receive just enough information to develop an understanding of Emily’s life while being allowed to put the puzzle pieces together one at a time. Emily and her servant, of course, know the whole truth of the situation the entire time, while the townspeople are left to discover the ghastly scene and parse out the timeline of clues and events after the fact. By giving us a nonlinear timeline, we have the privilege of getting a grand, dramatic buildup to the big reveal.
Hi Claire, I agree with your opinion about the reasons for the nonlinear timeline of “A Rose for Emily”. At the beginning of the story when I read this story, I was shocked confused and because the story was a little scary and the event was not clear enough. Besides that, the narrator uses the literary terms which is flashback to elaborate Emily’s life. Flashback gives the whole story a new look and sense of substitution.
Section 0503
Yes, Mei Yan, the story is quite scary. I contains many elements of the classic horror story: a spooky, old house; poison; insanity; a corpse—even the faithful Igor-like servant!
I believe the story “A Rose For Emily” has been told from a 1st person plural point of view for two reasons:
The first is to show that she was different from anybody else. As the town was on one side watching (judging) her and she was on the other side struggling with her mental illness and the unfortunate events that have happened to her.
I think the second reason is to draw the audience’s attention to Emily’s seclusion and loneliness. As mentioned in the story, generations have watched her grow old and refuse to change as time goes by. So “we” can represent all the people in town now and throughout the time that Emily has lived there.
“Now and then we would see her in one of the downstairs windows – she had evidently shut up the top floor of the house – like the carven torso of an idol in a niche, looking or not looking at us, we could never tell which “Thus she passed from generation to generation – dear, inescapable, impervious, tranquil, and perverse.”
I think the reasons for the nonlinear timeline of this story can be the intention of the writer to keep the last part as surprising as possible. I believe by starting the story by her death and discussing her past, the author wanted to create an illusion that readers are “aware” of what will happen at the end of the story. This cleverly created illusion would provide assurance for the writer that the revealing of the surprise element at the end of the story would be extraordinary.
section 0504
Hey Afsaneh,
I agree with you saying that she suffered with mental illness. The life events affected her so much she committed a tragedy that left a reputation. She killed Homer Barron. Miss Emily was fantasying with this guy that had no real intention with her and I believed this dragged her to feeling anger and killing her with the poison she bought. The poison was not traceable and people thought she was going to kill herself with the rat poison. The town was so selfish, they knew she was hurt and “suicidal” and they never once mention someone helping her or trying to stop her. instead they let her on her way.
It’s told in this way so that the readers wont be judgmental of Ms Emily. The author using “We” can understand the townspeople and their views. We also feel part of the crowd and not excluded as other authors would perceive it as. In my opinion, it gave me a sense of mystery and intensity. I felt as if i was right there watching Ms Emily deteriorating slowly. I felt extremely sorry for Ms Emily because everyone was gossiping about her. Her father drove everyone away who had a interest in her, leaving her to be lonely and closed off. Emily did not have a love life because of her father. The style of writing makes it very suspenseful .The way the author tells the story makes us more attached to Ms Emily and feel sorrow for her at the end.
Section 0503
Hello Thahina. I agree that the author uses “we” in order to connect the readers with those living in Emily’s community who are curious about her life. I like how you used the terms mystery and intensity to describe the feelings that you had while reading as I believe that was the goal of the author when writing as he wanted to put the readers in the shoes of the townspeople who had the same feelings you described throughout the narrative.
Hi Thahina, I agree with you when you say the author tells the story in that way to make us feel attached to Miss Emily; I was definitely with Emily when she was in the buggy with Homer holding her head up high, then I was so sad when I realized that Homer was a player (no intention to marry Emily) but she had plans for him. I felt like apart of the townspeople that call the Alabama cousins to tell them about Emily’s entanglement with Homer because ”we” knew who he was. I am sure Emily was a good person but she didn’t get to tell her story.
Syndoll Clarke
Section: 0504
Syndoll, I love your comment about how you felt you were “with” Miss Emily as she rides around in the buggy with Homer. I share your sympathy for her. I can understand her grasping for a last chance at love.
William Faukner’s short story entitled “A
Apology for previous typo.
William Faukner’s short story entitled “A Rose for Emily” depicts the tragical tale of a recluse named Emily who had lived her life almost as if trying to live the past and never moving forward. Her strange behavior that makes her known amongst the town brings a sense of mystery amongst those in the community who want to put the pieces together as to what her life inside of the only place she would stay, her house, was like. This sense of mystery and wanting for discovery when it comes to the life of Emily is why I believe the author decided to use the word “we” when providing the point of view within the text as those living in the community want to solve the mystery of her life and know what her life within the time capsule of her home was like much like the readers do. The question of why the author also decided to go with a nonlinear timeline for the narrative to create the story because, I believe, the author wants to build up the tension with each story about Emily as each of them progressively get more unhinged. This overall creates anxiety amongst the reader as they get closer to the climax of the story.
Section 0503
I agree with you Richard James Proana. Emily’s abnormal behavior causes the townspeople to worry. I believe some of her mysterious behaviors came from how her father treated her. He never even gave Emily’s suitors a chance to even get to know Emily. She behaves weirdly because I believe she hardly even go the chance to even relate with the townspeople. Faulkner uses non-linear timeline to captivate his readers attention leading them to the leading them to the climax of the story. There is no way any reader would not wait to see how the story ends.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a short story that narrates to readers about the life of late Miss Emily Grierson and her relationship with her neighborhood.
The story is told from a 1st person plural to make readers understand the distance in relationship between Emily and other individuals that lived in her neighborhood. The story talks about the “women” being curious to see the inside of her house because no one had seen it in the last 10 years (except the old man servant, gardener and cook). This instance found in the opening paragraph already gives readers an idea to the kind of relationship that existed between Emily and her neighbors.
The constant reuse of “we” throughout the story suggests a sense of disassociation from Emily by the neighbors. It gives a sense of ‘Emily vs. the World’ vibe. According to the text Emily always ‘carries her head high’ and never really built concrete relationships with the other neighbors.
I believe a good reason for the nonlinear timeline of this story was to give readers an opportunity to create their own plot and setting. I believe the story was told in this manner to give an opportunity to imagine Miss Emily and the kind of relationship that might have existed between her and the neighbors.
Section 0504.
I think the story is told from an atypical point of view because, in the story when the author uses “we” or “our” they use those point of view tactics to make the reader feel as though the reader is in the story. Section 504.
Samajae, it’s great to hear from you. However, your post needs to meet the length requirement in order to receive full credit. Please review “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION. This post is much too short. Furthermore, this has already been said numerous times by others in the forum.
The southern gothic short story “A Rose for Emily” we read this week has an atypical narrator: a plural “we” that, in my opinion, refers not to a particular person or set of people but instead to the spirit of the town where the tale occurs. This is supported by the long timeline of the story, which recounts most of the titular Emily’s life, despite the narrator also commenting on the unreliable memories of those around her age. No one person or group of people could remember each of the events in her life with such detail, but the town where she lived is timeless and not bound to the restrictions of human aging. It is also reinforced by the relative omniscience of the narrator: although the story does withhold some details from the reader that are revealed only as the townsfolk learn them too, we as readers still receive information and details that no one person in the town would have.
I believe the story is narrated in this way for a few reasons, but primarily because of how well it reinforces the “us versus them” (or in this case, “us versus her”) dynamic in the town. Not only was Emily an outcast because of her anachronistic lifestyle and her unmarried status, but she also went out of her way to avoid others and remained prickly and uncooperative with members of the community throughout her life. There is a very clear barrier between the “we” narrating the tale, and Emily, the subject of the story herself. When we consider that the narrator isn’t any particular person and instead is the “spirit” of the town, it becomes clear that the story is heavily pushing the narrative that Emily was not someone who ever found her place to belong in that community.
I also think this story is written with the town as a narrator because it allows for the unique combination of omniscience and the personal rapport of a story told in the first, not third, person. Having this type of narrator allows the reader to get more swiftly drawn into the story, feeling like a member of the community, while still revealing extra details that build the drama and tension to a boiling point before the tragic, ghastly truth is revealed. It creates a level of intimacy in the telling of the tale that, to me, is reminiscent of a campfire story or a one-man play.
I think that “A Rose for Emily” would feel entirely different were it written from another point of view or with a less all-encompassing narrator. I appreciate the intricacy with which this story sets up its atmosphere, and I enjoyed how each of the puzzle pieces fell into place to reveal the rawest part of Emily’s personal life. We get just enough detail to understand the justification behind her choices, but at the same time, Emily is so alienated by the narration, as well as the fact that the story is told posthumously, that we as readers are primed to feel like Emily is on opposing sides with us. It is a delicate balance to maintain and I believe this story does so masterfully.
Section 0504
Hi Kia,
I also believe that the author used “We” to emphasize Emily’s loneliness in the town.
In my opinion, “We” in this story is more than just the people in the town at the time of Emily’s death. (As you put it nicely, it is “the spirit of the town”)
I think “we” means all the people who had any contact with her or knew her in the past. Because the timeline of the story suggests that this observation of Emily from the people in town has been happening to her for many years.
Section 0504
Kia, thanks for the thoughtful response. I like your comments about the “we” versus “her” idea as it pertains to the narrative voice. I think an emotional separation is definitely set up by this clear distinction between Emily and the townspeople.And yes, the story is definitely a beautifully crafted puzzle, which is part of the reason the nonlinear timeline is used. If the story were told in linear fashion, readers would guess at the ending.I’m just a lttle curious about where you hear omniscience in this story.
Afsaneh, I really like your interpretation of the point of view. While the town folks in general did show empathy towards Emily and the circumstances in which she had been living through, ultimately they fostered a community in which Emily felt singled out. She was after all was said and done, a social pariah. Which is ultimately why it’s told from the perspective that it is. It’s why there’s often comments that neighbors have said about Emily sprinkled in throughout the story. Her entire life, is entire narrative, is not only told through recalling the events that have occurred throughout her life, but through candid explanations of the perception of Emily by her neighbors.
In Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily”, we see that there are reasons for the linear timeline of this story. We see that events did not happen as they occurred. We see that these events took place in a small town where everyone seems to know how everyone’s life unfolds. The people of this small town know people’s lives from birth to even when they get married and then to their graves telling from how the narrators told Emily’s story. Faulkner uses the non-linear timeline in order for we the readers to see the dramas that eventually takes place leading to the surprising main plot. Faulkner draws our attention away from the ending story. Even with how the story ended, no one could have even imagined it. I’m sure if Faulkner had told the story in a traditional way, it would not have been a page turner. Faulkner developed Miss Emily’s character in a unique way to build the tension and to keep us readers on our toes yearning to see what will happen next. We also see that Faulkner weaves in and out of scenes without providing any depending idea that a linear story demands.
Mercy, it’s true that the town seems to know everything about everyone. Yet does anyone in the town truly know Emily? Has anyone been close enough to be able to tell her story without input from everyone else?
Section 0504
For what reasons might the story be told from such an atypical point of view (1st person plural “we”)?
In William Faulkner’s story “Emily’s Rose”, the reason for this story can be told from an atypical first-person perspective, because it makes it easier to get a more realistic sense of substitution and to interact with the story.With the sense of substitution, it will be easier to experience the feelings and emotions that everyone in the story brings to the audience. In addition, the narrator uses the first point of view to tell the story because it is easy to tell the relationship between characters. While the author uses the word “we” to represent the entire town people. However, the word “we” does not tell what gender and age to us. Also, the word “we” can represent their views and opinions are consistent. At the beginning of the story I felt confused because This is the only one in which I have read so many stories that use “we” to explain the story.
Section 0503
Mei Yan, thanks for the candid comments. Yes, it’s easy to be confused when first approaching this story because time is so distorted.I don’t know quite what you mean about “substitution” here. But I do think you make a good point when you write that the town’s opinion seems to be consistent. They all seem to think in a herd when it comes to Miss Emily.
In my opinion “A Rose for Emily” has a timeline in which the narrator goes back and forth. I believe the writer chose to write it this way because he didn’t want the reader to find out the ending too soon. The story begins at the end with Miss Emily’s death and an awful smell. But at the end it also ends with Miss Emily’s death and the readers discover what the smell is. I also think he wrote it in this way so the reader can understand why Miss Emily was the person she was and why she did the things she did. As a reader we would have never understood the reasons why Miss Emily never let anyone in the house or was stubborn if the narrator never took us back to her father’s death and describe from their perspective on how he treated her and how he left her with nothing. Emily was stuck in time she didn’t like change. You can see this when she still believes Colonel Sartoris was alive and when the town changed around her and she refused to fix her house. We wouldn’t really understand why she poisoned Holmer and slept with his corpus till the day she die if we never knew about how her father’s death affected her. She kept Holmer’s corpus because she wasn’t going to lose love and be alone again.
Section:0534
HI Michaela,
The author writes this story in such powerful sense. I though of Homer Barron’s death more of revenge. She was the talk of the town and she didn’t want to be ashamed once more without actually defending herself. So she quietly killed Homer that way no one could say anything else. The town thought he simply left but later found his dead body in the room that has been locked for years. For years they judge her and Emily didn’t want to leave without a message.
In “A Rose for Emily”, I believe that “we” is being used in her story by the people of the town. In her story, we go into details about how Emily was a “impervious, yet strong stubborn woman”. Due to Emily’s lifestyle, her father had controlled her life, stopped her from having a normal lifestyle, even stopped any guy from interacting with her in any kind of way. Right here in my opinion, this is where Emily had started slipping away mentally, not when her father had passed. I personally feel the reason why the story is told in such a nonlinear way, is to grab the readers attention. Once we hear about something tragic, for some naturally our first instincts is to figure out why, what happened? Our suspicious level meter increased once we was presented already with the fact that Emily had passed and it was indeed tragic. Now as the readers, we continue reading to figure out what happened with Emily.
section 0534
The story is told in a nonlinear way to make it more impactful, and exciting as you read. Telling this story in a basic sequence of events would be rather boring, we could guess quickly that the smell was perhaps her dead lover, or that the poison was most likely used on him. Instead were left wondering what’s that smell, and who’s the poison for? This builds anticipation, and makes the climax that much more thrilling. This way of telling the story also allows you to have several big payoffs and climaxes leading to the final climax as opposed to just one big climax at the end, that being the dead man in the bed. This leaves us captivated and just like the townsfolk when they went to MISS Emilys’s funeral “out of curiosity to see the inside of the house” we too are filled with curiosity to go deeper into the text.
Course: 0534
The Story ”A rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a story about a mysterious and perculiur women named Emily. The story takes place in a small town/village were everone seems to know eachother. I believe the William Faulkner used the pronoun “we” to set a distance between Emily and the rest of the town, almost as if she doesn’t belong. The reader can see though that Emily is a little off mentally. The last paragraph of the story we find out that she had been sleeping next to Homer’s dead decaying body. When the authre uses “we” it makes us feel as if the reader is apart of the townsfolk and that was Faulkner’s exact intentions in my opinion. Also, the writing style of jumping back and fourth in time gives the reader a feeling of suspense. All in all, I like how the auther uses “we” it really gives the reader the feeling of being in the community and automatically makes us look at Emily in a weird way.
Thank you,
0534
In the short story A Rose for Emily, by William Faulkner, the author delves into the tale of a woman named Emily. The story takes place in a small town. In this town, every citizen is relatively well known to each other. This is because the families who occupy this town have dwelled there for generations. Faulkner’s usage of “we” to describe the separation between the town and Emily sets the tone of this piece. Throughout the story, the reader is only told stories about Emily and are never shown Emily’s point of view. From the reader’s perspective, it looks as if the town gossips about Emily and her family. She is often pitied, gossiped about, and her family has been referred to as “mad.” By using the plural form of we, the reader is placed as part of the town. It creates a necessary distance so the reader has the feeling of looking through a window into the town’s events. The nonlinear timeline helps add backstory and environment. It gives details that help the reader understand why Emily is as isolated and alienated as much as she is. It adds the weight of every event happening around the character that is followed the most: Emily. In addition, multiple people are introduced at the beginning of the story. Such as Emily’s father, aunt, and Homer Barron. The lack of chronicle order displayed in this piece forces the reader to mainly focus on Emily. To the extent that unless mentioned again, the reader wouldn’t think about the side characters. I believe this was written in this way because Emily herself was stuck in time. This was evident through her denial of the passing of her father, not allowing a mailbox to be built in front of her home, denying the rancid smell coming from her home, and ultimately how she denied the death of Homer Barron. Her lack of understanding time makes the way this piece was written much more compelling. The reader isn’t part of any one event that took place during Emily’s life. Which is why it is a nonlinear timeline. I also believe the haunting discovery of Homer Barron’s corpse truly drove the storytelling and tone the exact way Faulkner wanted to convey this piece.
section 0534
Hi Marisa,
I definitely agree with what you said about how the author from the start separates Emily from the rest of the town, while simultaneously dropping us readers into the midst of the townspeople. Throughout all the changes in the chronology of the story, Emily remains a constant in all of it. It does support how she’s forced to be the center/focus of the reader’s attention. What you said about the side characters only being thought of when mentioned was interesting to me because although the end reveal doesn’t explicitly name Homer Barron, he does come to mind when all the signs are considered.
-Johnson
I think the author in the story “A Rose for Emily” used the first person plural “we” to control the revelation flow of mysterious events that were occurring in a rather isolated household. In the story, “we” were not directly involved in the main character’s life, but “we” were mostly observers and commentators of every move that Emily made or did not. Emily’s neighbors as narrators of the story did not know exactly what was going on inside her house and life, so they tried to resolve their curiosity by collecting any little evidence and fact they knew about her activities.
Thus, in this masterfully organized piece, we the readers become one with “we” the town’s people in our quest to solve thrilling enigmas.
Section 0534
Armend, I how you how to characterize the townspeople as observers and commentators rather than as participants in Emily’s life. And they certain do like to to comment!
Hello Armend, I think that the you used the word mysterious because it didn’t come to my mind but now that I read you saying it, this story is super mysterious. I agree with on the face the the pronoun “we” is used to show that we are a part of the community but not directly apart of the main character (Emily)’s life. I also like how you said “we the readers become one with “we” the town’s people in our quest to solve thrilling enigmas.” Thats true, we really don’t know much about Emily except for what the townsfolk are telling us, so technically the author gives us the feeling as if we are part of the townsfolk. Let me know what you think!
Thank you
David
0534
Hello Armend,
You are right the author uses the first person plural “we” because all the people from that town gave little information or what they see and they build the story. Also the author uses the plural “we” because the whole that was curious of the way that MIss Emily was living. I think that the author also uses the plural “we” because the reader also has to build the story due that it is given in nonlinear time.
section 0504.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is given in a nonlinear timeline. it helps to keep the attention of the reader guessing what actions happened first. It is also a way to give climax to the story as we can see the author say “the whole town went to her funeral”. In this part, the author Keeps the attention of the reader to find out why everybody went to her funeral. It is also a way to develop an interesting story when the reader keeps in mind and try to recall all the scenarios to put in order. Emily is a strange woman in the town and her home had a bad smell. This is the reason why everybody went to her funeral for curiosity to check her house what was the bad smell. She had the dead body of her lover homer in her bed. Homer was the foreman of the company that was repairing the sidewalks.
Miguel, thanks for the reminder of how the story is bookended with two funerals. It is also certainly true that nonlinear timeline keeps the reader wondering among other functions of this literary choice.
Hello Miguel, i liked your understanding of the nonlinear storytelling which is the question i picked as well. I never thought the whole town came to the funeral to figure out the source of the smell, but instead they all came just out of plain curiosity to see the inside since she had shut herself away for so long. Thinking back now after reading your post I can definitely see that being a driving factor for curiosity. Thanks for giving me a deeper thought on this!
Course 0534
For what reasons might the story be told from such an atypical point of view (1st person plural “we”)?
Throughout William Faulkner’s story “A Rose for Emily”, the story is narrated from first person using the plural pronoun ‘we’ Faulkner uses this to put emphasis on the fact that the events are connected to an eye or group witnesses. The ‘we’ in this story constitutes a mixed picture of the town’s society and issues a account of both Miss Grierson’s story and the history of various epochs. The character presents itself in ways as “our whole town went to her funeral”, “we were not pleased exactly”, “as is our custom”, “we believed”, “we remembered”, “we knew”, so on and so forth. The authority of these statements, composed with the self-assured predictions of the mixed pictures relating to Miss Grierson’s private life, fabricates the sense of a narrator that knows all and sees enough to supply for later events that happen. The tone of reaction in the story also concerning every incident in Miss Grierson’s life points out that the pronoun ‘we’ can represent the community of the townspeople gossipers wanting everything done the way they want and become appalled when and if things end up out of their control.
What might be reasons for the nonlinear timeline of this story?
The reason for the narrator telling the timeline in nonlinear fashion, is because they are telling the story as they learn it and reflect on it. While also using the dissimilarity in chronological order as a way to keep us just what Miss Emily might be doing, since she is an intriguing character so there is an element of foreshadowing. Lastly, the shift in the chronological order helps put focus on the ante-bellum South and the attitudes which could have made Miss Emily feel she should be entitled to being treated a certain way. This belief that she has is contrasted by the behavior of the newer generation.
Section: 0503
Hi Zakiyah,
Yes you are right about the narrator creating “mixed pictures”. The evens told throughout the story are only rumors around town. The story was never once quoted by Miss Emily herself. People in town only knew their side of events. Nobody mention the reason why Emily’s father was in denial of every man. It would of gave a different feeling to this story. People in the town was so full of themselves they didn’t let Emily live her life even after her father died. She could of had a opportunity of happiness but the town took that chance as well from her.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, starts off with the death of Emily Grierson. As the story continues in a nonlinear progression, time shifts backwards to her father’s death . By going back and forth through time, the author creates tension and gives readers the feeling of suspense. This is done by revealing a piece of the story with each shift in time. From her father’s death, to the purchasing of poison, to the end reveal; each part serves to pull the reader in deeper and deeper like a full course meal. If her death was the appetizer, then the reveal at the end would serve as a dessert.
Like how stories are not usually told with a nonlinear timeline, use of an atypical point of view to tell one is also unconventional. But it serves a purpose, especially when depicting a mysterious character such as Emily. By telling the story from the viewpoint of the townspeople, it gives readers the feeling that they’re right there with them; that they are unraveling the story together. Using this method, the author only reveals the knowledge of the townspeople and what they are thinking. This serves to keep the character Emily a mystery by keeping her inner thoughts in the dark, away from the reader’s grasp.
-Section 0504
Hello Johnson,
I love the way that you described Faulkner’s telling of “A Rose For Emily” as a “full course meal,” her death being the “appetizer” and the reveal at the end serving as “a dessert.” I think this is such a creative way to explain the unconventional timeline in this story. Something that I found so interesting was the fact that, traditionally, I am able to guess surprise endings of books, movies– you name it. However, Faulkner did such a genius job of revealing each piece of Emily’s life with such an air of mystery and intrigue that I was refreshingly shocked and thrilled to read that “the man himself lay in the bed” and “a long strand of iron-gray hair” was found next to him. In my opinion, this was an exceptional read and I’m actually very interested in exploring more of Faulkner’s works.
Section: 0503
Hello Johnson
When a story is giving in nonlinear time, the reader has to think about the sequence of the scenes. I like when you say ” the author creates tension and gives readers the feeling of suspense”. It is the time when the reader has to focus more to try to understand the sequence of the scenes. The story also becomes interesting when the reader gets confused and has to guess what really is going on.
Looking at this story, I think it’s told from the perspective from which it is told, with the plural “we”, due to the way the character of Miss Emily is written. She’s someone who is almost shrouded in mystery due to the nature in which she’s decided to live after her father died. She’s someone who rarely leaves her house, rarely socializes. Her house has an odor that completely distracts the townsfolk. Her story can only be told by the people around her, as they attempt to connect the dots to figure out who she really is using the only information they have. Whether it be her atypical reaction to her father’s death, or her scandalous affair with Homer Baron. Overall, I think that the story is told in this nonlinear fashion to provide an explanation for the final decision she decided to make, to humanize her. While her actions are most certainly not justified, we get to really see how the way someone is raised and treated can have a great affect on who they end becoming in adulthood. It provides this very tragic story that sadly ends in the death of her and Homer Baron.
Section 0504
Hi Caleb! i completely agree with you. Faulkner uses the plural “we” to tell the point of view from the town folks perspective. Since Emily was living a strange life in there eyes and they can see whats happening they can easily, tell in there point of view her story. Well at least her story from there eyes.
Osamende, please just be sure that comments meet the length requirement.
“A rose of Emily” by William Faulkner is a story about the life of Miss Emily Grierson and her relationship with Homer Barron. It is set in the 1800s and is set in the South during the civil war. Miss Emily Grierson was an unmarried woman over thirty. The narrator describes her as being very lonely, and she has no one she can turn to expect herself. She is also described as having a very strong sense of self-worth. She is not afraid to admit that she doesn’t know what love really means or how it is supposed to be. She is also very independent and has a lot of freedom in her life. Her independence comes from her ability to make decisions without any restrictions. She is able to do whatever she wants with her mind.
The reason for the timeline of this story is because the narrator is telling us about her life. In the beginning of the story we see that miss Emily was a very independent woman who did not have to worry about anything. She was not worried at all, just like everyone else in town except for her father. He was always there for her when she needed him most, even though he could not be there for her. I believe that the author’s purpose of writing this story is to show how much freedom and control Miss Emily has over herself. At the end of the story it was surprising to see the skeleton is Miss Emily’s bed which is Homer Barron. As a reader it is hard to imagine what would happen if Homer Barron were alive. I think that the author wanted to show Miss Emily’s life through the eyes of a young woman who does not know what to do with herself.
This was very interesting but at the same time it was a sad story to me because Miss Emily didn’t get her love from Homer, she just kept on living in her own world. The setting of the story is in a small town called Jefferson.
Section: 0503
Humayra, you give some very good observations about Emily’s character here.I’m not clear, however, on why you feel the nonlinear timeline helps us understand the details of Emily’s life. Also, the story is not told through the eyes of a young woman who does not know what to do with herself. It is told by a narrator who represents the collective voice of the town.
I feel the nonlinear timeline helps us understand the details of Emily’s life because of the background values and beliefs that were instilled into her. The setting helps us understand how much we are affected by our surroundings. Sorry Professor, I wasn’t meant to put this sentence.
“ I think that the author wanted to show Miss Emily’s life through the eyes of a young woman who does not know what to do with herself “ were just putting some thought together while writing the nonlinear timeline.
The primary reason for the use of the first-person plural, “we”, in William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily” is, in essence, to provide the reader with a different perspective of the narrative in a truly unconventional yet brilliant way: the reader is forced to characterize the town as its own personified entity in the story. It’s made clear throughout the narrative that no one has ever maintained a close enough relationship with Emily Grierson herself to recount her life in detail from its tragic beginning to its morbid end. It is for the same reason that Faulkner employs a nonlinear timeline in this story: the town itself, despite changing with the generations and industrialization at the turn of the 20th century, is almost as static as Emily. She is as much a part of the town as the town is a part of her. It has watched her endure great loss and tragedy and the collective “we” is the one and only point of view that has the ability to piece her life together in a way that results in the culmination of such an engaging and interesting story. As time progresses, the town as a collective watches Emily age. It sees her as young woman, “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will” (Faulkner 28). Next, it sees her as a woman of about thirty, “She was sick for a long time. When we saw her again, her hair was cut short, making her look like a girl, with a vague resemblance to those angels in colored church windows — sort of tragic and serene” (Faulkner 29). And, finally, the town watches her age into an old woman, “When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray” (Faulkner 48). There is no identifiable group of individuals that make up this point of view. It is simply Faulkner’s transformation of setting into a human-like, omnipresent perspective.
Section: 0503
I see a few reasons William Faulkner may have chosen the 1st-person plural point of view.
As the reader, we gain entrance and become part of the “we” in this case the town of Jefferson, giving us a sense of inclusion to the group. It may be meant to have a more persuasive effect, and helps for us to see certain things from the people in the town point of view, as here “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that.”
The majority of the story being told from the perspective of an outsider to the Grierson family leaves us no choice but to trust the storytelling of these townspeople and their view. Even if we don’t like their choices or who they are, we have to follow the group.
At the same time it can provide us with a sense of mystery that other perspectives can’t, we are left in the dark about certain things and awaiting reveal, same as the town of Jefferson as they flock to her house upon her death.
Patrick, I think you raise an interesting idea here. You are right that we as readers are asked to believe the story as told by this group of gossipers, none of whom truly knows Miss Emily. Much of our own understanding and sympathy for Miss Emily comes from what is not said by the townspeople.
The story a “Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner , Is about a troubled girl who had many hardships in life. The story talks about Emily’s life. She had a controlling, manipulative father who drove men away from her life because he thought none of them were good enough for his daughter. He also prevented her from socializing with people , which resulted in her to live an isolated life. Emily lived in an small town (Jefferson, Mississippi), were everyone knew each other. Everyone gossiped a lot with one another. So when they saw Emily and how her life was they looked at her as strange and weird. At Emily’s funeral the town folks came together to reflect on her life. That’s were the word “We”,( Faulkner used) plays into the story. The story is told in the towns people’s point of view. The author uses the plural word “We” to give a sense of perspective that the town folks are reflecting and telling Emily’s life from there eyes.
SEC- 0534
“A rose for Emily” By William Faulkner is told with a nonlinear timeline to provoke suspicion and connection of pieces to a puzzle at the end of the story. This story flashbacks and fast forwards events that explained the reason Emily’s situations ended in tragedy. In one point of the story it flashbacks to Emily’s life when her father was alive. Emily’s father denies every man that tries to marry Emily. “We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will”, paragraph 28. This was one of the reasons Emily’s life was damaged. Emily’s rebellious actions was caused by her own father. She began have relationships before marriage. “At first we were glad that Miss Emily would have an interest, because the ladies all said, Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer”, paragraph 31. Creating rumors all throughout the town. The story continues telling Emily’s entangle relationship with Homer Barron. Fast forward to the day Emily buys poison. Without doubt this creates prediction of events in the reader’s mind. During this time Emily is still young and still is seen by the town. She grows old and seen less until later seen when she is dead. This story is fictional and told this way because this describes Emily’s on going cycle of tragedy. Her story is stuck between her grief, nonlove, and sadness. Her life is cursed even after her father’s death. She grew old and “gray” without love. The color “gray” can be attached to the fact that she herself is living in ugly gray old shadows. She stays stubborn and stuck in one event in her life. She is hurt by the people that cross her path which cause her to kill Homer Barron. Slowly the timeline events expose the cause of death of Homer Baron. In the title “a rose” the rose is Emily herself. The timeline of the story is a “rose” that is bloomed young with men wanting her which it slowly dies out as the events of her life dries her out. She never finds love and the rose dies and in denial of growth. She does not want anything or want to deal with nobody. Emily dies slowly with no trace of herself.
Section0504
Hi Mariana,
I agree with you “ suspicion and connection of pieces to a puzzle at the end of the story” becuase how Emily keep Homer in body in her room. It was surprising when the townspeople came to see Miss Emily’s room and saw a skeleton. They found gray hair. Homer never loved Miss Emily the way she loved him, so she decides to keep him by her side permanently and make sure he doesn’t leave her again. She did this because she thought that if he leaves her then maybe he will never come back into her life. Although Emily is a very important character in this story becuase she has a strong influence on the town.
Hi Mariana,
I think you make some good points here. The flashback at the drug store provides excellent imagery of her slipping into darkness. Her deadpan expression and repeated words allow us to almost see the store clerks uneasiness. This was a interesting turning point for me because normally I wouldn’t be sure if the poison was meant for suicide or for murder, but the use of the timelines already betrayed that she lives a long life
I think the narration of this story is the town as 1st person plural “we” to make the story more interesting and not to give away the ending. Emily is not particularly close with anyone in town and no one really knows what goes on behind closed doors. The story is told based on the townspeople’s observations and opinion of her making the ending very shocking. From this narrative perspective, Emily can be sympathized with. I also believe it is narrated with the nonlinear timeline to maintain that suspense. If the story we’re told from the protagonist’s point of view in the order that the events occurred it would have just been a very disturbing horror story. It also allows the reader to be a part of this story and almost relive the events from the point of view of the townspeople and helps us develop our own interpretation of this story.
Zubaida, I think it’s the distorted timeline rather than the narrative point of view that works to keep the reader from guessing the ending. I agree with your comment that the collective point of view enriches the story and works to give it far more depth than a more conventionally told horror story.
Section 0504
The story might have been told from such an atypical view because it was the subconscious thoughts of the man serving Emily. Though he did not speak, this narration breathed new life into his silence. Faulkner states “we had long since given up trying to get any information from the Negro. He talked to no one, probably not even to her, for his voice had grown harsh and rusty, as if from disuse.” This emphasizes the point that the man had no real voice due to both his morbid occupation and the obligation to serve Emily. She never left her residence in her late life, who would be more fitting to tell her story than the man? He was in constant contact with Emily and witnessed her many stages of life. The man is said to have left the house after allowing the townspeople inside, knowing they would find Homer’s body which caused such an uproar in the town prior to its discovery. “he disappeared. He walked right through the house and out the back and was not seen again.”
Section 0534
William Faulkner’s short story ”A Rose For Emily” is told through a nonlinear timeline in order to illustrate the enigma surrounding our main character Emily Grierson and the overall chilling story. Since ”we” (being the communal narrator, the story is told through a collection of scattered town gossip and reminiscence) know very little about the mysterious Emily considering her social absence for many years, it would be impossible to truly know who Emily was and the things she did, especially since she passed away. Faulkner tells these non-chronological stories between the announcement of her passing to the day of her funeral almost as a town memorializing her and reminiscing on the very little things they’ve heard about her via the town’s gossip. Through these community whispers, we are able to piece together the disappearance of Emily’s romantic partner Homer Barron and what happened to him; We also get a sense of how Emily is seen by the townspeople. We are as clueless as the town (our narrator) as to Emily’s motives and plans, only she would know that, and since she is no longer with us, these rumors and accounts will have to make due in order to figure out the nature and acts of Emily. When the townspeople enter her room that hadn’t been seen in many years, the non-linear accounts begin to make sense as we discover that Homer Barron had been dead and that Emily had been sleeping next to his dead body for many years out of some perverted form of romance. The arsenic she bought in the town, the wedding attire she had purchased, the smell coming from her house, all come together to give us a sense of what Emily did and the eccentric or rather creepy kind of person she was.
Syndoll Clarke
Section: 0405
Syndoll,
The story is told from an atypical point of view to build Emily’s character. The whole story is told from the perspective of the townspeople and the reader feels like a part of it. Learning about these events in this order also gives the reader a chance to interpret the events and create their own image of Emily. In the end when the truth is revealed the reader feels the same shock as the townspeople.
” A rose for Emily” is about a very strange women named Emily that lives in a small town where she slowly starts to fade away from everybody she used to know. The point of view the author tells the story in is in the first person. The use of “we” and “our” had the reader more engaged in Emily’s story and made me feel as if I was apart of the small town and trying to figure out the mystery with the rest of them. The town was very nosey and the more Emily secluded herself the more the town wanted too know what was going on and the usage of “we” got the reader to go along for the journey of Emily’s story. One reason for the nonlinear timeline is to keep the reader on their toes. Going back and forth through the timeline enables the author to surprise and confuse the reader which lack of details or confusion to what happened, but it was set up this way to have a incredible ending that nobody really expected.
Section 0503
The first sentence is about her death, which gives the rest of the story a eulogy feel.It creates a mystery for the reader because the end is reveled first and used to build up the beginning. Throughout the story the reader is constantly asking “what happened? When did it happen in relation to other events?” It keeps the reader wanting to reread and put the timeline in order. The health and how the main character is viewed by society keeps changing and the certainty of knowing how it ends just makes it more mysterious and how they got to that point.
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a story about a woman named Emily Grierson. I believe that the story is told from an atypical point of view so that we can see the different viewpoints of Miss Emily Grierson from the people that lived in her town. To everyone who lived outside of her home, she was mysterious. Adding to that, it gives it a personal touch. Reading the story and seeing “we” added to the fact that it was more of a collective, that collective being the people in the townspeople and even the reader. Even though the story is nonlinear, as it goes on we the readers learn more about Miss Emily Grierson. Normally from a typical first-person point of view, we would not get to see the real changes of Miss Emily. She would be considered an unreliable narrator. The townspeople can be seen as a reliable narrator because it is like they see things at face value.
Section 0504
Karl,
I agree with you. If the story was narrated from Emily’s point of view it would be biased and the reader would find her character just disturbing. From an outsider’s point of view, although Emily’s character is strange, they know her backstory and sympathize with her. Their sympathy for her almost justifies her behavior in some way.
The story “A Rose for Emily” was told from an atypical point of view so as to describe the general view and thoughts of the townsfolk had on Miss Emily. The story included many instances of gossip, which includes the pity and concern the townsfolk had for her. The townsfolk pitied her due to the death of her father and the denial of Miss Emily which followed, “She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. ” (P. 27). The townsfolk also gossiped about her having an affair outside of marriage with a man named Homer, who was a day laborer, “Of course a Grierson would not think seriously of a Northerner, a day laborer.”(P. 31).“Poor Emily,” the whispering began. “Do you suppose it’s really so?”(P. 32). Thus showing pity for Miss Emily for falling for someone of low class and also having an affair. The townsfolk were showing signs of concern when the area near Miss Emily’s house started smelling horrid, but they were too polite to ask about it and took it upon themselves to break in and sprinkle lime juice around to clear the smell. The nonlinear timeline of this story was inputted to create suspense and mystery. The mystery was made from the start, the death of Miss Emily would cause readers to wonder and become entranced within the story. The suspense was created through foreshadowing, the foreshadowing being the strange smell around the house and revealing that Miss Emily’s hair was iron-gray. Which lead up to the discovery of Homer’s corpse and Miss Emily’s hair next to the corpse, revealing that Miss Emily had been sleeping next to Homer’s corpse for years.
Section 504
The “A Rose For Emily” is a short story that shows a young woman named Emily Grierson. Emily was a very mysterious woman in the way she did things. She lived with her father and her servant. Emily has blocked the hold community from them knowing what she does or what kind of person she is. This story has been shown in the first person plural point of view and “we” was used by the author because he wanted to show different viewpoints from the community. Emily has refused to continue with time, she doesn’t want to keep up with the new lifestyle. She gets too attached to people that she cares about and she ignores the fact that they have died. The author has built up a lot of unease throughout the story about Emily. It causes the reader to read more to know what is going to happen next.
section 0534
For what reasons might the story be told from such an atypical point of view (1st person plural “we”)?
“A Rose for Emily” is a story based around the death of Miss Emily Grierson, a women who has a very high place in the town she lives in. The story puts heavy 1st person perspective in the story and is seen throughout most of it. In the start of the story after moves back in time to when she was alive and it the story still continues first person. When seeing this I see that that the reason why the story is told from an atypical view is because the story is presenting us to the past of someone that has already passed and the events that circled around her and the people that are involved in her life so that the story can show the reader who Miss Emily was and why the town knew her.
-0503
Hi Michael,
Your point as to why the story is told in first-person plural is extremely valid. I did not think of it as something that would allow a reader to understand “the events that circled around her and the people that are involved in her life”. After reading your perspective, it has given me more perspective as to why these types of stories are told as such. I think you’re absolutely right – this also ties into my original perspective of how I believe that the first-person plural story structure allows the reader to be more convinced of the events that are happening.
“A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner, was most likely told in an atypical point of view to enhance the feelings the townspeople had towards Miss Emily Grierson. It is as if the author needed captivating evidence portray how Emily’s character should be understood as. The 1st person plural also allows the author to identify his feelings the same as the townspeople’s feelings. This also allows the reader to feel slightly more connected to the story, emotionally. The reader might be able to understand the positioning of the townspeople, author, or narrator, better due to all of the similar feelings that are being expressed.
One reason this story might have a nonlinear timeline is because a such a timeline allows an increased amount of drama in the story. It creates uneasiness and suspense, without giving away the plot to the story immediately. In a way, the momentum of the feelings that are being expressed by the narrator ultimately keep the readers on their toes, forcing the reader to start predicting the outcome of the story.
Section 0504
In the story “A Rose For Emily” by Wiliiam Faulkner, I see the story being told in an atypical point of view. I feel like one of the reasons why Faulkner chose to tell this story in an atypical point of view was, to get the reader to feel like they are one of the towns people. The reason being ,throughout the story, Faulkner refers to the towns people as “we”. By Faulkner doing this, it allows the reader to feel more emotion and feel more connected to the story. Also while going through the story it felt like you had a weight on your shoulders. I say this because it was basically the main protagonist Emily, versus the whole town.
-Section 0503
What I think the reasons are for the nonlinear timeline of the story is to make it unique, and feel like you’re physically in the story too. It adds suspense to Emily’s life. When something is done in a linear way, you can sense the order, and use the structure to make a prediction about what happened. When done in a nonlinear way, it is harder to comprehend what can come next in the story. It leaves you confused. Personally, there was so much they discussed about her life throughout the passage, that when the big reveal that she was sleeping next to her dead lover not only for days, but YEARS–I was left truly baffled and shocked. Telling a story in a non traditional way is a great way to capture your audience and leave them hanging on as I was. You are constantly engaged, and ready for more, because it is not in an ordered fashion as most stories are written in.
sec 0504
” A rose for Emily ” by William Faulkner this story was beautifully written. Faulkner portrays the first person to be “we” because he wants to show the aspect of the community as a whole. Emily would have been considered as an outsider nobody in the town really knew to much of her. Faulkner portrays Emily to be quite strong but scared after homer had poisoned her dad and wanted to keep him for himself she still kept a steady mindset and didn’t let this override her
section 102-0503 [4618]
Sanaya, please review “Information about Discussion Boards” in COURSE INFORMATION for details about length and deadlines for receiving full credit.
I believe “A Rose For Emily” was wrote in a 1st person and a we point of view to make the reader feel as if they are apart of the community. It becomes more personal wrote in this point of view because I felt connected to the story I felt as if I was there with the characters. The reason the story was wrote in a nonlinear timeline because it gave dramatic effect but as well as the flashbacks its suspenseful and leaves you wondering and its already foreboding with things like the smell coming from her home. It left me wondering what’s Emily hiding. We never really know about Emily directly because no one has ever been that close with her. Everyone is just assuming they know what’s really going on with her but its just truly sad there is something wrong and no one took a chance to understand.
Section: 0534
Whoever the narrator is, he is central to the stories progression and to the suspense. The narrator’s experience is central to understanding Emily, and it is actually the only way the reader is able to build an understanding of who Emily is. The story is best told from his point of view as opposed to the main character because his lack of knowledge is crucial to the development of the plot. The narrator’s failure to realize that Emily had intended to kill “rats” (This is an instance of foreshadowing used by William Faulkner), instead of committing suicide, allows the suspense of the story to be preserved, and therefore hold the reader’s interest in the plot. Us readers would’ve never felt the the drama, and intense shock surrounding the discovery of the body in her room, the room being embalmed with her memories, and her symbolic “iron gray hair”. These are events in the plot which could not have been told by Emily due to her mental state. Emily would have been easily classified as an unreliable narrator, and therefore her retelling of events would not have been valid. It was essential that both the narrator and reader make the discovery of a dead Homer Barron at the same time, because it shows that as much as the narrator and people of the town had scrutinized Emily, no one knew who Emily Grierson truly was.