Book Review : Emily A 41 Year Old Caucasian Female Essay

The narrator seems unable to establish direct contact with Emily, either in the recovery center or their home life. The narrator notes how Emily grew slowly more distant and emotionally unresponsive. Emily returned home frail, distant, and rigid, with little appetite. Each time Emily returned, she was forced to reintegrate into the changing fabric of the household. Clearly, Emily and the narrator have been absent from each other’s lives during significant portions of Emily’s development. After so much absence, the narrator intensifies her attempts to show Emily affection, but these attempts are rebuffed, coming too late to prevent Emily’s withdrawal from her family and the world. Although Emily is now at home with the narrator, the sense of absence continues even in the present moment of the story. Emily, the narrator’s central

Emily was kept confined from all that surrounded her. Her father had given the town folks a large amount of money which caused Emily and her father to feel superior to others. “Grierson’s held themselves a little too high for what they really were” (Faulkner). Emily’s attitude had developed as a stuck-up and stubborn girl and her father was to blame for this attitude. Emily was a normal

Emily’s upbringing is plagued with difficulties. She is the first-born of a young mother and the eldest of five brothers and sisters. As a baby, she is

Although the mother may have been trying to help Emily, the mother should have tried to take care of Emily better instead of sending her off as the only solution. One of the other effects of her mother’s unavoidable neglect is Emily’s failure to be on the same pace as her peers in class. She is at a state of illiteracy that is uncommon for her age at the time which may be a result from staying at home instead of going to class to take care of the household. In addition to the mother’s neglect, having a sister who was the ideal poster child may have caused self confidence problems as she grew older being the odd one out in the family. Emily’s mother should have made sure she was able to take care of Emily first before deciding to give birth to another child. What the mother thought would be the best option for Emily had a more clear negative effect on Emily after she grew older still not having any clear direction in her life.

2) What does the title of the story suggest about the townspeople’s feelings toward Miss Emily? Why do they feel this way about her? (Or: What does she represent to them?) Is there anything ironic about their feelings?

     Emotional support also plays an important role of Emily’s well being. The idea mother suppose to care, support, and value their children needs. Emily needed this nourishment. She needed her mother to smile at her in order for her to feel a connection with the person that she supposed to be able to depend on. Emily’s mother did not know how to communicate with Emily. The mother-daughter relationship has an element of coldness, it lacks warmth. “There were years she did not want me to touch her” (Olsen 262). Emily’s mother inability to interact with her, leaves Emily unloved and in return, she shall not express any love toward her mother. Emily’s mother feels her “wisdom came too late” (Olsen 262). With this thought in mind, Emily’s mother shall never show communication or love to Emily, therefore the relationship shall continue to be doomed.

Emily is a character surrounded by mystery, leaving a mark on the influence of others, causing them to create their own scenarios about her life. It happened when she met Homer, when everyone hoped she will marry him, or when she bought poison and everyone thought she would poison herself. Her high wealthy status and respect were emphasized when she kicked out the people who

She is a hardworking, honorable, yet stubborn woman. Since birth, she is pampered and is raised as if she were white. She follows in her mother’s footsteps and has a relationship with a white frenchman named Joseph Billes. She lives with him and works in his store where “sacks weighed almost as much as {her}, but she pulled and tugged” to get merchandise into the building (363). When her relationship with Joseph is not taken nicely by the townspeople she still stays honorable to him even after he leaves her. They have five children together and Joseph remains in their lives even though he is with another woman. Emily is like her mother, she wants her children to choose white partners because it can give them a better life. She becomes stubborn with T.O’s wife, Geneva, because she is dark

The plot or sequence of events are explained very well in this story. Emily is the first of 5 children who seems to experience the most heartache out of the other children.

In William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” the story is revolved around the character Emily Grierson. The story is told by the townspeople where Emily lives. These people are attending her funeral and pitching in memories and tales they remember from Emily’s life. It is through the collective voices and opinions of the crowd that the reader is able to interpret Emily’s struggles. With Emily Grierson’s choices the reader can tell that she is a dependant woman, with psychotic tendencies, and does not take the thought of change and rejection lightly.

Emily is very vulnerable mostly because of her appearance. "She tormented herself enough about not looking like the others, there was enough of the unsureness, the having to be conscious of works before you speak, the constant caring-what are they thinking of me? Without having it all magnified by the merciless physical drivers" (Olson 603). Emily is a skinny, fragile, and sick child, and in the outer world, other kids without values would point her out. Emily is always insecure about what she says, or does in front of others. The insecurity of not being able to be her own person is always on her mind.

Poverty and loneliness play a role in the life of the narrator and as a result, she ponders about it and how it has affected her and her daughter. “1 was nineteen. It was the pre-relief, pre-WPA world of the depression,” (293). She was struggling financially, and because of the Great Depression, she was struggling to find a job, especially as a woman. And on top of that, she has a child she hardly has time to take care of because of her quest for a job and money to support herself and her daughter. Not only is she financially struggling, “for I worked or looked for work and for Emily's father, who "could no longer endure" (he wrote in his good-bye note) "sharing want with us."”, her husband abandoned her because of her financial situation (292). What else is more tormenting than thinking about how much of a financial hell hole one is in and that the only partner they can depend on has given up all hope?

Being away from her family and friends in Alabama, Emily takes out her frustration of her new environment on her family(100). Many flaws exist within this family;however, the family still seeks comfort in one another.

The protagonist in this story is Emily Grierson. Her family is considered to be superior than others in the town and are well respected. Her father left the house for Emily and did not need to pay for taxes. Her father was controlling and believed that no man was suitable for her, so did not let her build any relationships with anyone. Emily 's father passing was a devastating loss and caused Emily to become depressed. “After her father’s death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all” (story). Due to her father always trying to control her, she was 40 with no kids and single. Her life had been taken over by time, causing her tension in life. When her father passed, she was now looking for partner, but it was past her time. She did not like the help of outsiders, causing her to act in an uncanny manner. She did not accept the fact that her father had died for three days and shut herself out to others. Due to her living in existence, society found her interesting, but inappropriate. Emily is in conflict with society. They closely observe her, gossip and judge. The townspeople are aware of her room upstairs, but no one does anything. They believed that her

Emily behaves the way she does for numerous reasons. She is born into an aristocratic family. Emily is brought up as a Southern belle by her father and is placed on a pedestal by the townspeople. The Grierson’s are known in town for being extremely wealthy and having the nicest house in Jefferson, Yoknapatawpha County. Due to the fact that her father, Mr. Grierson, keeps her isolated and socially restricted as a child, she behaves abnormally. Emily feels as if she is pressured to live up to her father’s expectations. Because Emily is kept away from everything, she is not yet exposed to the real world.