The Theme Of Isolation In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily

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A Rose for Emily is a story by William Faulkner. It is a story that tells you about a woman named Emily, and how the town she lives in is changing. This story also reflexes back on the authors life. Once he fell in love with a woman and she ended up marrying another. Her family urged her to marry the other man due to his family’s high reputation and him being a law school graduate (William Faulkner Biography- younger years). There are several literary elements throughout the story. The ones that really stick out are symbolism, foreshadowing, and the theme of isolation .
Emily lives in a house that was once beautiful and well taken care of. Over time the house becomes harsh and dirty. The house has dust everywhere and the pillows are yellow and molded from the lack of sun. This reflexes back on Emily’s personality. Emily was a recluse; she went years without leaving her house. The only person who went to from the house was an old man who worked for her. When people come to her house she dismisses them as quickly as she can. She also refuses to accept change. When they come to install mailboxes she denies them permission to put the letters on her house or to attach the mailbox. …show more content…
Emily’s hair keeps getting grayer then one day it just stops changing. The hair foreshadows that Homer is upstairs decaying in a bedroom. The arson is also an example of foreshadowing because of the skull and bones on the box signifies the bones found in the bed. This also brings the towns peoples fantasies to reality, because they always thought that she killed him. At one point, they actually smell his body decomposing and instead of confronting her they sneak around her house and throw lime out around her basement. Also, there’s the death of her father because she would not let them take his body when he died. The family has a history of madness, and her reactions to people leaving suggests Emily is mentally unstable
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