A plot is a series of events in a story. The plot in the short story “A Rose for Emily ” is well–developed. A plot must be chronological or non-chronological; chronological means the events happened in order of their occurrence. Non-Chronological implies that there were regressions into the past from time to time or for the entire story. This short story is non-chronological because there are many flashbacks. For example, the story starts with Emily’s funeral then goes back to the past where the leader learns about her life. Flashback is when the narrator tells a story that happened in the past without coming back to the present until the end of the story or not at all. A plot analysis must incorporate a description of the rate of flow, expositions, crises, epiphanies, weaknesses, and strengths of a story.
The rate of revelation was slow; details clogged the action, and the reader kept waiting for the action to continue. In addition, the story contains winding descriptions about things before the punchline. For instance, when Emily has been laid to rest and the town is eager to discover the mysteries of Emily’s house, men have to break into the mystery room; a whole paragraph describing the room in detail irritates an impatient reader.
Exposition is the information the reader receives when the story opens. It is only the information that is going on at the very beginning, including what is happening, the setting, and the characters involved only at the beginning. The reader is introduced into the story with a funeral of the main character, Miss Emily; her Negro domestic help is introduced, and the town that constantly treats her as a circus show. Dramatic conflicts are events that happen up to the crisis. Examples include the awkward interaction between Emily and the council members who had visited to claim taxes on her property. One cannot forget the dramatic event when Emily goes to buy rat poison, and everybody in the town wonders if she will kill herself.
A crisis is the turning point; it separates what has gone on before and what will come after. It is usually a decision or action undertaken to resolve the conflict. For example, the crisis in this story happens after the disappearance of Homer Barron; one is left wondering why he disappears so suddenly from the story. Epiphany – An enlightenment, a discovery of something by the main character. This could happen anywhere in the story but usually comes right before the climax. In “A Rose for Emily,” the main character does not experience any epiphany moments before the finale since they are already dead. However, it is an epiphany for the reader when gray hair is spotted next to a dead man; it reveals Emily had been sharing a bed with a corpse.
Climax – The highest point of the action. The tension and conflicts are brought to a final outcome. In this story, the finale reveals that Emily may have orchestrated Homer Barron’s disappearance for her selfish gains to keep him for herself. Resolution or Denouement – This is the tying up of loose ends. It is the result of the climax. In the story, Emily goes to the shop to buy rat poison, and every reader can assume she intends to kill herself, but it turns out to be false.
“A Rose for Emily” has a solid plot and barely any weaknesses. The story starts with a strong exposition about a funeral, and one can already sense it is a good story with twists, turns, and pain. The main character is intriguing and built around betrayal, failed love, pain, despair, loneliness, and decay. The consistent theme in the book is Emily’s mystery, and the subplots succeed in supplementing the central theme.