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Rose For Emily Symbolism

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Symbolism is not just the mere idea of an item or person, but it is inherent to the current and past experiences one goes throughout his or her lives. For William Faulkner, an American writer who wrote “A Rose for Emily”, symbolically embodies his past experiences of fighting in the Civil War to the notions of the Old South and its decomposing values in his short story. Moreover, “A Rose for Emily”, reveals the Southern gothic horror that Faulkner was trying to recapture by setting the stage with an eerie atmosphere that mainly revolves around a dark aesthetic. To his advantage, Faulkner uses the bleak atmosphere he created to enhance the plot and meaning by creating symbolism within the story. Examples of this are Emily’s house, the representation …show more content…

In like manner, another form of symbolism in this short story is that of the moral representation of death for Emily which parallels to the existence of the old south. Foreshadowing that the south had been defeated in the Civil War, Emily 's life ends the same way, contrasting against the loss of her father. As a result of her father running out the many men that came to court her, there is no other male authority left in her life that will take care of her. Leaving Emily to grow as one with her decaying house. Emily basically lives through the interpretation of others while meaning nothing to herself. She is represented as one of the deceased in the story since she rarely stepped foot outside since the burial of her father. However, after an attempt to start a relationship with Homer Barron, this causes yet another death in this story, apart from the death of Emily in the ending. Unfortunately, Emily 's mortal structure is defined in the matter of death, symbolizing the decline of the south.
Another symbolic factor can be pulled directly from the title. Why mention a rose in the title when the rose itself was never spoken of in the story? A rose in the story symbolized a new upbringing the changing town. Over the years, as Emily spent her life inside of the house, the town began to change and enhance itself while Emily was still stuck in her contemporary ways. To put it into view, Emily 's house was the decaying rose, while the town was booming into a new rose. This symbolism of a rose compares well to Faulkner’s connection to the rehabilitation of the North, whereas the South

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