Buy an essay on “A Rose for Emily” by W. Faulkner

“A Rose for Emily” is one of the most popular and renowned short stories written by W. Faulkner. The writer conveyed a story of a woman living in the early 20th century America but, at the same time, he portrayed morals, social norms and standards, moral values and beliefs of the early 20th century society. In such a way, William Faulkner mirrored the historical epoch in which he lived through the story of Emily and characters surrounding her.
First of all, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the early 20th century was the turning point in the development of the American society because this was the time characterized by consistent changes in social relations and cultural norms of the US. In this regard, it is worth mentioning such social and cultural problems the author raises in the short story as the problem of interracial relations, the relationship between genders, including the oppressed position of women and their attempts to change their position in terms of the early feminist movement, and the problem of relations and differences between social classes in the US.
First of all, it is worth mentioning the fact that the short story was written in the time of the growing oppression of African Americans by the white majority. The problem of lynching persisted and aggravated as many African Americans were slaughtered just because they were African Americans. In such a context, the superior attitude of whites in the short story to African Americans seems to be quite natural, even when the main character, Emily, treats them as mere commodities: “So, she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers thirty years before bout the smell” (Faulkner, 82). In fact, the superiority of whites was perceived as a norm, whereas African Americans were in the inferior position.
At the same time, on analyzing the actions and behavior of Emily in the historical context, it is possible to presuppose that her superior attitude toward African Americans was a sort of compensation for her own inferiority in her relationships with men. To put it more precisely, Emily was a typical woman of the early 20th century, who was supposed to be totally subordinated to men. The similar superiority in male-female relationships existed as existed the superiority in relationships between whites and blacks. In this regard, Emily did not differ much from other women of her time, when she suffered from the severe oppression from the part of men. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on fact that her desire to marry with Homer was determined not only by her true love to Homer but also and mainly by her desire to marry because it was a norm for a woman to be married, whereas unmarried women were a sort of outcasts. No wonder that no one paid attention to Emily as she died alone, being without a men near her. He black servant pointed out: “we did not even know she was sick; we had long since given up on getting any information from the Negro” (Faulkner, 86).
Nevertheless, as the ending of the story shows, women have already started their struggle against male oppression. In the end of the story the dead body of Homer was discovered: “now in the long sleep that out lasts love” (Faulkner, 87). Rose murdered Homer and, in such a way, she showed her power and ability to take decisions and be stronger than men. Obviously, Emily was prepared to rebel against the male oppression she could not carry on the oppression and rebelled against Homer, when he refused to marry. At this point, it is possible to view the violent act of Emily, the murder of Homer, as the manifestation of her growing feminist consciousness. In fact, Emily does not act as a woman of the early 20th century was traditionally supposed to act. Instead, she becomes one of the first feminists, who rebel against males’ oppression. The early 20th century was the time of the rise of the feminist movement in the US.
Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is a remarkable short story which reveals numerous social conflicts and problems of the early 20th century America. The short story mirrors the historical environment which Faulkner depicts with the help of his talent and proficiency in writing. Emily is the character that reveals the rising feminism and, on the other hand, shows the extent to which women were oppressed in the early 20th century America.

 
Works Cited
Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. New York: Penguin, 1998.
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. A Rose for Emily. Fort Worth, Harcourt, 1997.
McDermott, John A. “Do You Love Mother, Norman?”: Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Metalious’s Peyton Placce as Sources for Robert Bloch’s Psycho.” JPC 2007 June; 40 (3): 454-67.
Osteen, Mark. “Ritual and Reenactment in Andre Dubus’s Short Fiction.” ReAr 2002; 6 (1-2): 73-89.