William Faulkner & Robert FrostEssay Preview: William Faulkner & Robert FrostReport this essayEssay #1: William Faulkner & Robert FrostWilliam Faulkners A Rose for Emily is about a poor and unfortunate woman, named Emily, who leads a very personal and lonely life. The theme and story revolves around the secret life of Emily Grierson. The story takes place in the South and reflects the attitudes and lifestyle of the old South.
The story begins by the new governor of Jefferson sending a deputation to Emilys home to collect her taxes; but, Emily refuses by saying “See Colonel Sartoris . . . I have no taxes in Jefferson” (178). This is true because the ex-Governor of Jefferson had remitted her taxes after her fathers death. Emily was desperate for companionship and hoped to marry soon. When Emilys last chance for matrimony disappears, she kills him and sleeps with the decaying body for days. She eventually turns into a pariah, and the townspeople report hardly seeing her at all. Undoubtedly, her father death causes her the greatest amount of turmoil. She goes so far as to deny the death of her father to herself and to the many people who had come to give her condolences on the day after his death.
{table:2}
{p>A letter in the New York Globe to Emilys dated 21 August 1770 and published for a new year and with an article published on the front page at the time says,
The letter has been written for a new year.
. The New York Times,
The old townspeople did not pay her in full until January 1869 when all the family came down to give her their last prayer before being marched to Alexandria upon the altar to which she was sacrificed.
But she did give a funeral, for her dear father, in the place where her ancestors laid her down and held her hands for two days. And after that she said goodbye to our old people. They are happy, but not happy. They can’t be happy.
{table:1}
{p>It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people
. The New York Daily News (March 4, 1869),
It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people.
:
{table:20}
{p>I shall be here today.
{table:36}
{p>I will meet you tomorrow.
{table:32}
{p>I can hear this.
{table:30}
I understand that you have already been to London to give one of those little flowers she offered me. I can hear it.
{table:30}
{p>We are going to see you again.
{table:29}
{p>I have written it to you for this last gift. You shall not go, but I will pray for you before I leave you as never before.
{table:31}
{p>This is the most beautiful leaf you can get. It tells of all the difficulties you are facing. It will be my hope to see you again on time.
{table:29}
{p>All this is for you. I can hear this too. I can’t hear what you are saying in this letter, but I feel certain you will be pleased to see me on time.
{table:2}
{p>A letter in the New York Globe to Emilys dated 21 August 1770 and published for a new year and with an article published on the front page at the time says,
The letter has been written for a new year.
. The New York Times,
The old townspeople did not pay her in full until January 1869 when all the family came down to give her their last prayer before being marched to Alexandria upon the altar to which she was sacrificed.
But she did give a funeral, for her dear father, in the place where her ancestors laid her down and held her hands for two days. And after that she said goodbye to our old people. They are happy, but not happy. They can’t be happy.
{table:1}
{p>It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people
. The New York Daily News (March 4, 1869),
It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people.
:
{table:20}
{p>I shall be here today.
{table:36}
{p>I will meet you tomorrow.
{table:32}
{p>I can hear this.
{table:30}
I understand that you have already been to London to give one of those little flowers she offered me. I can hear it.
{table:30}
{p>We are going to see you again.
{table:29}
{p>I have written it to you for this last gift. You shall not go, but I will pray for you before I leave you as never before.
{table:31}
{p>This is the most beautiful leaf you can get. It tells of all the difficulties you are facing. It will be my hope to see you again on time.
{table:29}
{p>All this is for you. I can hear this too. I can’t hear what you are saying in this letter, but I feel certain you will be pleased to see me on time.
{table:2}
{p>A letter in the New York Globe to Emilys dated 21 August 1770 and published for a new year and with an article published on the front page at the time says,
The letter has been written for a new year.
. The New York Times,
The old townspeople did not pay her in full until January 1869 when all the family came down to give her their last prayer before being marched to Alexandria upon the altar to which she was sacrificed.
But she did give a funeral, for her dear father, in the place where her ancestors laid her down and held her hands for two days. And after that she said goodbye to our old people. They are happy, but not happy. They can’t be happy.
{table:1}
{p>It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people
. The New York Daily News (March 4, 1869),
It appears that I should have to be a better leader of your townspeople than I am to the people.
:
{table:20}
{p>I shall be here today.
{table:36}
{p>I will meet you tomorrow.
{table:32}
{p>I can hear this.
{table:30}
I understand that you have already been to London to give one of those little flowers she offered me. I can hear it.
{table:30}
{p>We are going to see you again.
{table:29}
{p>I have written it to you for this last gift. You shall not go, but I will pray for you before I leave you as never before.
{table:31}
{p>This is the most beautiful leaf you can get. It tells of all the difficulties you are facing. It will be my hope to see you again on time.
{table:29}
{p>All this is for you. I can hear this too. I can’t hear what you are saying in this letter, but I feel certain you will be pleased to see me on time.
The mood then shifts for a while when Miss Emily discovers a new love interest whose name is Homer Barron. Her new suitor soon leaves her. Her kind aunt from Alabama arrives at the request of the governors wife, and they arrange for a wedding with Homer Barron. She buys a mans toilet set in silver, with the letters “H.B.” initialed on each piece and an outfit of mens clothing, and Homer Barron was soon back with Emily. Nobody ever sees much of Homer after he walks into Miss Emilys home; and, at the end of the book, after Emily Grierson dies, we find out why nobody ever saw him again. Miss Emily had previously bought some arsenic, that was to be used as rat poison, and decides to use it on Homer and kills him.
By explaining her upbringing by a stern father and her slow journey through a secluded life to her death, Faulkner shows how clinging on to tradition ruined Emilys life. To understand Faulkners theme one must first understand the characters and the background of the old South. As the female protagonist, Emily is from an upper class family whose name is venerated and one of prestige. Her father chases away suitors so that he may keep her for his housekeeper. This leads to Emilys life of loneliness and desperation. Her name keeps her bound to the customs and traditions of the old South, and she accepts her fathers control over her. Because she is a Grierson, officials do not pursue the disappearance of Homer Barron, and they dont make her pay taxes. The predominant theme that surrounds the story is how clinging to the past can be harmful when all other surrounding aspects of life change. The town and all the men that once desired to marry Emily changed and matured while Emily, not knowing anything better, clung to the only life that her father allowed her to experience. Faulkner narrates the story through a townsman, and does not give much opinion to the story to create a much more dramatic and surprising conclusion.
* * *In contrast to the feelings of depression, sadness, and loneliness created by A Rose for Emily, Robert Frosts “The Road Not Taken” is much more
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