Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Abel Girma Mr. Lucky English Language and literature IB Y1 04 September 2012 Word Count 1087 The mind of Symbolism in A go For Emily Then we noniced that in the atomic number 42 pillow was the indentation of a head. genius of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that squirt and invisible dust dry and blistery in the nostrils, we saw a huge strand of iron-gray hairsbreadth con the utter to the highest degree lines of A bloom for Emily, a short story written by the Ameri squeeze out author and Nobel Prize honourable William Faulkner, published in 1931.These last course put a go againsting and preferably disturbing end to this piece render the strange spirit of Emily Grierson, and her obdurate refusal to adapt to changes in her life, living in her experience non-transforming world. Various symbols be utilize end-to-end the textbook although Faulkner did not utilization both kind of aware symbolic re dumbfoundation. The validity of this acqui re lies in his Nobel Prize in writings acceptance speech, his biography and his converse on the meaning of A rose wine for Emily. Emily Grierson is visualised as A fallen depository from the very beginning of the story as the narrator starts to describe the ceremonial procedures following(a) her death.Soon afterward, her home, a ho physical exercise that had once been white, adorn with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome way of the seventies. (Section I of A bloom for Emily) Is adjacently undermined as an eyesore among eyesores (Section I of A move up for Emily), invaded by the deteriorating and industrialized neighborhood that habituated to be an illustriously reputed neighborhood in the 1970s. This is a fine example of symbolization engaged in the text as it flows an inkling of the stubbornness in which Emily, a southern woman has lived her life cleaved to the past and immersed in old southern traditions.Similarly, the Rose in A Ro se for Emily is a thought-provoking symbol due to the position that it is never menti oned throughout the totality of the story. The interpretations of the Rose are unbounded and debatable. It can be silent as world a rose of sympathy Faulkner would like to dedicate to Emily for she had lived an undeniably grim life of solitude and misery. It can equally be interpreted as a rose representing the whap Emily desperately needed in her life thus far never truly found, seeing as a rose generally symbolizes love in most cultures.Likewise, another shock kindling and incontestably pivotal symbol in the story is confined within the last sentence, the long strand of iron-gray hair. These last words reveal the macabre moral depravity in which Emily lived a great part of her life, sleeping beside the decaying system of Homer, the first potential true-love in Emilys life that decided to leave her soon after they started spending a lot of while together. The strand of hair symbolizes t he often dissenting(a) path which people cross in the quest for love.There is not a clear enough correlation between most of the symbols and what they symbolize for them to have been an application of conscious symbolisation. Furthermore Faulkner himself has ascertained that he doesnt depose on consciously victimisation symbolism to channel his philosophies as an author. Effectively, William Faulkner blatantly denies using any conscious symbolism. He explains I was simply trying to write just nigh people it was no intention of the source to say, Now lets see, Im going to write a piece in which I go out use a symbolism (extract from the interview A Meaning of A Rose for Emily).This quotation further validates the argument that the symbolism used by Faulkner was unintentional. Ray Bradbury, one of the most renowned American writers of the twentieth century explains his take on this melodic theme in a response to a letter from a 16 year old disciple in 1963. The school-age child wanted to know more to the highest degree the use of symbolism in literary cooks so Bradbury stated that I never consciously place symbolism in my writing. That would be a conscious exercise and self-consciousness is defeating to any creative act. The best symbolism is always unsuspected and natural. Faulkner also describes his main interest as a writer as being about the human heart in conflict with itself (Nobel Prize acceptance speech). Thus, his resole purpose as a writer goes against the act of using conscious symbolism. Accordingly, in A Rose for Emily, he tells the outlandish, yet compelling story of Miss Emily Griersons inborn conflict in the pursuit of pleasure and love that leads her to unorthodox even mephistophelean acts. Faulkners A Rose for Emily offers symbols with limitless interpretations and hence proves to a considerable extent that the use of those symbols werent conscious.Moreover, It would be contumelious not to confine with the author when he denies the use of conscious symbolism. Symbolism in A Rose for Emily is consistently present and plays a study role in the possible readers interpretations of the storys message. However, the use of symbols in a literary work is ineluctable and isnt always a point of intersection of a conscious act. This means that the fact that there is symbolism in the text isnt a contradiction to the authors initial final stage which is writing a mere tincture story inspired by a picture of a strand of hair on the pillow in the remiss house. (Interview on The Meaning of A Rose for Emily). Consequently, the unconscious symbolisms within the story give it sophistication and depth due to its readers interpretations, not due to the immoral act of distinguished symbolism upon them. The American author Isaac Asimov encompasses the help to the controversy of the use of symbolism in his response to the same letter about from the 16 year old student Consciously? Heavens, no Unconsciously? How can one avoid it? Faulkner did not use conscious symbolism in A Rose for Emily.Numerous applications of symbolism are present in this short ghost-story and they do clench a non-negligible position in the overall meaning of the piece based on each readers understanding of them. Nevertheless, the literary virtuoso, William Faulkner did not intentionally place these symbols as a means to convey his message in a latent manner. In spot of doing so, he straight-forwardly wrote a simple ghost-story containing inevitable symbols. As a matter of fact, we whitethorn ask ourselves to what extent is the conscious use of symbolism in literature in order to convey message, efficient and trenchant?