Essay about A Withering Rose inWilliam Faulkner’s, A Rose...

William Faulkner’s, A Rose For Emily, encompasses various themes, but the theme most prevalent in the short story is decay. Time waits for no one, and for Miss Emily Grierson, time left her behind. A Rose For Emily depicts the motionless decay of a woman stuck in time, as her concept of reality is lost. Throughout the story Faulkner characterizes Emily and the atmosphere around her as addled and withered. In the short story, A Rose For Emily, by William Faulkner, a woman is ultimately overcome by grief and in turn loses all conception of reality, becoming lost in her own world that is fading with her. Miss Emily’s erratic behavior first surfaced after her father’s death. Possibly brought on by grief, but better explained as insanity, Miss†¦show more content†¦Murdering Mr. Barron set Emily in a continuous depart from reality, one that she could never recover from. Miss Emily’s insanity mixed with her loss of reality explains why her and her surroundings began to decay. Miss Emily is compared to her house in many ways. Descriptions of the decaying house symbolized Miss Emily’s emotional and physical decay. Faulkner’s choice of descriptive words ties emphatically into the theme through which Emily threads, herself emblematic of the effects of time. Before her father’s death the house was â€Å"white, decorated with cupolas and spires† (681). This symbolism ties in directly with Emily’s appearance. In her youth Emily was a â€Å"slender figure in white† (683), and she was of high social class of which no man was good enough. After her fathers death Emily’s physical traits deteriorate as well as the houses. Described as, â€Å"smelling of dust and disuse† and filled with â€Å"shadows† (686), the house illustrates the change that has taken place in Miss Emily’s physical and emotional life. In Emily’s later life she is described as â€Å"small, fat woman in black† and a voice that was â€Å"harsh and rusty† (682). Ultimately when Emily died the house was seen as an â€Å"eyesore among eyesores† (681). The characterization Faulkner chose for the house played as a mirror of Emily, as she grew older and further from reality, so did the house. William Faulkner portrayed many themes in â€Å"A Rose For Emily,† however the theme of decay