Free Essay - Setting in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily :: A Rose for Emily, William Faulkner

Importance of Setting in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Setting is place and time, and often provides more than a mere backdrop for the action of a story. William Faulkner uses this device in his complex short story A Rose for Emily to give insight into the lonely valet de chambre of Miss Emily Grierson. Faulkner portrays the t protestspeople and Emily in the southern town of Jefferson during the late 1800s to early 1900s. The town is more than just the setting in the story it takes on its own characterization alongside Emily the main character. It is the main reasoning behind Emilys attitude and actions. It gives the reader an easier understanding into why Emily makes the decisions she does as the story unwinds. The town of Jefferson was deeply indirectly involved in the lifetime of Emily Grierson. They watched and debated her every move, being her analyst, they wondering why she did certain things. They had their own idea of who she was and what they wanted her to be. The re ason being was that the aristocratic Grierson family that her beat headed was very highly recognized in the past era of the Confederacy. Her father had much agency and was close to a very popular mayor named Colonel Sartoris. The power Emilys father has over Emily can be seen in a portrait of the two that the narrator describes Emily a slender woman in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip. (141) He does in fact control her like a horse, never allowing her to date anyone. And until his cobblers last she indeed does non. After Emilys father dies, we find her becoming involved with a gay man named Homer Baron who she probably believes she will eventually marry. It is her incessant relying on a male figure that gets Emily into this situation. It is the setting in which she lye that has this impact on her thought and understanding. We eventually find out in the end that Emily kills Homer. She does thi s not do this out anger or hatred toward this man. It is the belief on her part, that a man has to play a significant role in her life that drives Emily to do this unbelievable act of violence. In her mind this was not a crazy thing to do.