Symbolism in A Rose for Emily Essay Sample

“A Rose For Emily'' by William Faulkner tells the story from the 1920’s of a woman who refuses to allow her house to be reconstructed and not change herself to adapt to the current time. In the short story, Emily’s house is a symbol of not wanting to change or move forward with life. By looking at the house as a symbol we can see that this represented Emily’s attachment to the past which most readers don't see. This is important because it illustrates that a person should let go of their past and move forward with life, even if they chose not to; time will continue moving and they will be left behind facing any adapting issues on their own.

The first time the house was introduced in the story was when the Board of Alderman had a special meeting and decided to go to Emily’s home to have a proper meeting with her regarding the tax request she kept denying. They were led inside by the server, the house was described as having a smell of dank, being dusty and disused. Also, people in the town kept complaining about the awful smell and a few men had snuck in the middle of the night and sprayed the home with lime. In the text it stated, “That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her. People in our town, remembering how old lady Wyatt, her great-aunt, had gone completely crazy at last, believed that the Griersons held themselves a little too high for what they really were” ( 2, Faulkner). This quotation shows that the people had felt sympathetic towards her, yet they knew that their family generation was full of people who thought they were above others in a way. It is symbolic in a way since the smell description was caused by Emily not taking care of the house or wanting to change anything of it truly.

Another time the house was mentioned was in the instance where everyone in the town was getting free mail postage along with a mailbox in their homes. Again Emily did not approve of this and kept fighting in a way for them to install or give her a mail postage. In the text it stated, “When the town got free postal delivery, Miss Emily alone refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox to it. She would not listen to them.” (Page IV, Faulkner). The meaning behind this is Emily denying any change or moving along with what other people are doing in society, which represents the house and how Emily wants to keep it just the way it is. If a person is unwilling to change then they will obviously be stuck in their past as well as never grow as time goes by. Emily seemed to be leaning towards quite a lot within the story.

Lastly, the house was mentioned in regards to Homer Barron coming to Emily’s home on Sundays and taking rides in the buggy with her. Emily had appeared to enjoy it for a bit but she ended up purchasing arsenic and people had assumed she bought it for herself. However it was told at the end of the story it was used on Homer Barron since he was probably trying to convince her to do things that she did not want to do or try to. In the text it says, “We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people wil” (2, Faulkner). This tells us that Emily wanted nothing to do with Homer Barron, however she still went with him and eventually grew tired of it. If a person cannot stick with someone for too long or force themselves in a way to do things they may not end up liking it or continuing to move further. Emily had tried but she truly in her heart did not want to change who she was, what she did, how her surroundings look simply because of the fact she was clinging to her past.