An analysis on“A Rose for Emily”

◆王小薇

(安徽工业大学外国语学院)

An analysis on“A Rose for Emily”

◆王小薇

(安徽工业大学外国语学院)

This paper analysises Faulkner’s novel“A Rose for Emily”.It emphasises the viewpoint,the construction and the symbolic metaphor.

s:narration structure symbolic metaphor

The spiritual deterioration which characterizes modern life stems directly from the loss of love and want of emotional response seems to be one important message ofW illiam Faulkner’s stories.In"A Rose for Emily"he uses unique narrative viewpoint,structure-building,symbolis m andmetaphor to express this message and finally helps to extent the novel’s aesthetic dimension.All these show Faulkner’s attention to the combination of form and content in the novelcreation,and thusmake the novel profoundly the matic.

1.The viewpoint of narration

This novel uses"we"to represent the main character.

(1)Emily’s story is depicted moderately.To some extent it excludes the emotional andmoral conflict between Emily and the townspeople.Thuswe can realize the author’s feeling.

(2)The townspeople’s different opinion supplement each other and finally ensures the solidarity of the work.Via this can this noval be told vividly.

(3)The word"we"blurs the boundary between the readers and the characters.The story is justwhat the author seesorparticipates.This arouses the readers’interests.

(4)Faulkner’s"we"often speak men’s discourse.In south of America, women used to be in a lower social class.Faulkner comes from a noble family. Alough he doesn’t cast off the old tradition of despisingwomen,he shows his respect towardswomen.It reflects the contradictory psychology of Faulkner and his contemporaries.

2.The construction of the plot

We analyze"A Rose for Emily"from the following aspects in order to discuss the relation between the construction of the plot and the thematic meaning.

(1)The organic of the whole article

This story is constructed deliberately by the author."Death"is the subtle of the storywhich can be divided into five parts.The issue of the taxes,the s mell, the death of his father,the marriage of Emily and the funeral,all these offer" us",the narrator,the viewpoint and the opportunity;all these are the turning points of the plot.The conflicts arise from these issue are the hinges of the characters’fates.The language also gives much contribution to the natural development of the plot.

(2)The multiply of the inversion of the time and the order

The plot can be arranged in the original sequence in order to help the readers to understand the characters’"real"experience;it can also break the time order and use flashback to make the story attractive.The story tells the story of Emily.The multiply flashbacks lets us see the new sight of the structure.Meanwhile,we also find that the skip of the time is very natural.This kind of flashback produces suspense so the author approaches her deep soul in order to expose her abnor mality and her tragedy.

(3)The everlasting negation

The developmentof the story is almost amathematic process:0+1-1+1. Her father’s deathmakes Emily determine to change her appearance and try to establish the connection with the outer world;after all,it’s a turning point of her life.When she fell into love with the snobbish bourgeoisHomer,her individualities unveil slowly.The failure of the love with Homer indicates that:Homer represent a totally different life from Emily’s resting one,it’s one full of din and stir.Homer didn’t accept Emily’s love,all the people didn’t allow this,and Emily herself also struggled in the inner self to the extent thatwhen she carried her head high enough,she was also full of conflicts.It hints that there is a great gulf between them.

3.The symbolic metaphor

In the modernistic works,the symbolis m is no longer a mean of the style, but rather an important style itself.The complex imago produces rich symbolic meaning.

(1)The symbol of the prototype

All the literaryworks are the hypothetical verbal structure.The characters’behavior and fates are only logical andmeaningful in an inventedworld.After various crucifixions of life and emotion,she lets her soul stay in the past and becomes a puppet.People regard her as a concept,respecting her but never including her into their lives.Faulkner sings a dirge for Emily and predicts the contabescence of South America.

(2)The metaphor of the people and the things

Faulkner constructed many verbal icom.Such narration leads the readers to put attention to the people and the things;as the penetration of the narration,the motive will be exposed.During the fight against herown fate,shemaintained her dignity and individuality.This individuality indicates that;as a member of the society,she has a close connection with the society,she is also an individual in it;she is fettered by the social convention,however,she always seeks the individual value.Once the individual crackswith the society,he and the societywill never in a harmonious state,but stand in the contradictory positions.The result of the conflictmust be a bitter tragic.

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