A-rose-for-Emily分析

1AroseforEmilyThisstoryhappensaftertheAmericanCivilWar,inJeffersonTown.It’sastoryaboutaneccentricspinsternamedEmilyGriersonwhosemarriageistotallymanipulatedbyherfather.Twoyearsafterherfather’sdeath,poorEmilyisacquaintedwithanorthernercalledHomerBarron,adaylaborerandshefallsinlovewithhim.However,theirrelationisshort-livedasHomerbecomestiredofherandintendstogetridofher.InordertokeepHomerathand,Emilykillshimwitharsenicand“obtain”him,thus,shesleepswithhiscorpsefordecades.Thisisthetruththatvillagersfindafterherdeath.Frommyownperspective,thismasterpiecereflectsthedeclineofthesouthernsocietyandrevealstheconflictsbetweenthetwodifferentvaluesystemsandtwosocietiesaftertheAmericanCivilWar.Then,Iwillexplainmyopinionsfromthefollowingthreeaspects:character,symbolandsetting.Emilyisanembodimentofthesouth,theoldandtradition.Attheverybeginningofthisstory,thewriterrecountsthedecorationofherhousewhichisstill1870sstyle,isn’tchangeanymore.Besides,sheisalsoobstinate.Whenthenewgovernmentcompelthetaxesonher，sherefusestopaythetaxandevenridiculouslymentionsacolonelwhohasbeendeadalmosttenyears.Anotherexampleisthatshepreventspeoplefrominstallingmail-boxonthewall.Shekeepsthetraditionalviewsallthelong，butresiststochangeanything.However,poorEmilyisadeterminedwoman.Regardlessofpeople’scriticism,sheinsistsonmarryinganorthernerwhosesocialpositionisapparentlylowerthanher.Itisknownthatinthatperiodoftime,hierarchyisprevailinganddeep-rootedthroughoutthesociety.Itparticularlyhasaprofoundinfluenceonmarriage.Whensomeonechoosesapartner,heorshemustconsiderthesocialpositionoftheotherpartytothemarriage.However,Emilychoosestodisobeytheconventionandchallengestradition.Giventhissituation,herfailureisquiteexpectable.However,shecannotgetridoftheshacklesoftheSouthernconventions.Afterall,shecapturesherloverinherownwayandtheloveistreatedwithhonor.Herfather,theoldGrierson,isalsoanincarnationoftheSouth,patriarchyandtradition.Hewasveryfastidiousaboutherdaughter’smarriageanddroveawayeverymanwhocaughtthefancyofher.“Whenshegottothirtyandwasstillsingle”.Obviously,bothherbodyandmindareenslavedbyherfather’straditionalconcept.Therefore,shefeelsreleasedwhenherfatherisdead,andthereisno“traceofgriefonherface”.Inthisnovel,EmilysymbolizestheSouth,oldandtradition,theYankeerepresentstheNorth,newandmodern.Bothyoungguysmightbeinterestedineachotherwhentheyfirstmeet.Buttheypossessaltogetherdifferentvaluesorconceptoflives.Sotheyinevitablyseparatedbeforelong.TheconflictbetweenthetwopartnerssymbolizestheconflictbetweentheSouthandtheNorth.Andtheabsurdmurderaggravatesthecontradictions.The“Rose”,thatisnevermentionedinthisnovel,isalwaysinterpretedconventionallyasasymboloflove.ItmightbeusedastheloveEmilygetsfromherlover.Butinmyopiniontherosemainlyrepresentsdecayanddeath.Atthetimethevillagerswenttoherroomandfoundthevalancecurtainsoffadedrosecolorandtherose-shadedlightsintheroom.Actually,theauthorplaysatrickonMissEmily.Infact,shedoesn’treallygetanylovefromanymanwhetheritisfromherloverorherfather.Emilycouldhaveafavorablemarriagebutforherfather’sinterference.ShecouldhavegotherdeservedlovefromHomer.Butonaccountofherobstinacyandpride,shereceivestirednessandindifference,insteadofaffection---rose,fromhim.Thus,asanoutsider,theauthororthevillagers,theygivearoseasatributetoEmily.Besides,therosealsostandsfortheauthor’sandvillagers’pity,sympathyandlamentforEmily,whosemindisimprisonedinthepastandfailstoadapttothechange.What’smore,theauthor,“WilliamFaulknerobjectifieshiscomplicatedandemotional2involvementintheSouthandinthepeoplewhogrowupandlivethereeversince”.Thestorytellerbeginshisstorywhenitispost-civilwar.InJeffersonTown,intheSouth,whichisdefeatedbytheNorth,everythingincludingconceptandsomesenseofvalueisgraduallyreplacedbythenewconceptsfromtheNorth.Inthisbackground,duetotherestrictionofthetraditionalideas,somepeopleareimprisonedinthepastandignorethepassageoftime.AndMissEmilyisoneofthem.ThewholestoryissetinEmily’shouse.Butthestoryhasatimespanofovertwoscores.Herhouseisdepictedasoldbutgrand.Seenfromtheoutside,thehouseisreallyoutdatedandisnotinaccordwithotherresidentialbuildings—it’sreallyaneyesore.ThehouseperfectlymirrorsEmily’sisolationfromtheoutsideworld.Fromtheinnerdecorationofherhouse,everythingiscoveredwithdustandtheairishumid.Besides，thereisacrayonportraitofMissEmily’sfather.Thedescriptionofthehousepavesawayforthedevelopmentofscenario.Asareader,Imightfeelghastly.Therefore,it’sconceivablethatthespine-chillingstoryhappensthere.Attheendofthestory,outofcuriosity,peoplegointoherchamber，seeingfadedrosecolorcurtains,therose-shadedlightsanddelicatearrayofcrystalandtheman'stoiletthingsbackedwithtarnishedsilver.ThewholeroomspeaksthelifeEmilygoesthroughandindicatesthedecayoftheSouthernaristocrat.WhenIfinishedreadingthestory,asinceresympathyemergesinmymind.Emilyistotallyatragedyoftheoldtraditions.Sheisaprisonerofthepast,ofthesocialandmoraltaboosoftheSouth.Notonlybecausesheispurelyawoman,butalsothestubbornconventionsmanacleherthatresultinherfrustratedlife.Evenso，shecouldhaveabetterlifeafterherfather’sdeath.How