In a “Rose for Emily” (1970), Faulkner addresses the topics of obsession and unwillingness to accept the natural changes that come with the time. The main character of the story, Emily Grierson, is a very reserved person who lives a secret life. People in town judge her and watch her life, discussing all the details of her personal affection with each other. Faulkner has used many literary devices in order to address the topics of changes and obsession and to create a rich imagery.
The first literary device that can be found in the story can be seen in the very name of it, “A Rose for Emily”. A rose is a metaphor that actually refers to her lover whom she has poisoned. He is called “a rose” because she had killed him and stored his body as if it was a dried rose, resembling her about love. This image shows that Emily was obsessed with love and did not want to accept life in its constantly changing nature. She preferred to kill her lover than to see him leaving her. Other images depict the atmosphere of decay that was surrounding Emily’s house. A “fleshless grin” is a metonymy for the skull of the man’s skeleton (Faulkner, 1970). A metaphor “long sleep” instead of death reflects Emily’s striving to save the past and to stop time, pretending that death does not exist (Faulkner, 1970). The images of dust and rose color are often used by the author to better convey the atmosphere of Emily’s room and life. Thus, through metaphors, metonymy and imagery the author depicts a life of a person who did not want to accept changes.
Work Cited
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill, 1970.