Description Essay comparing point of view, writers' tone, style, use of setting and character development for “A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner and "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
A Rose for Emily is written by William Faulkner in the form of a short story. The tale is divided into five sections which follows the life of a woman by the name of Emily Grierson. The whole story takes place in Jefferson County which is within Yoknapatawpha. The author sets the story after the civil war allowing him to place one of the most important themes of the story. The author speaks of how prosperous the County was before the civil war. How the society had several merchants, gentry, farmers and slave. The men were gentlemen, truly chivalrous and the women pure and moral souls. At this time the Grierson home was one of the finest in the county. Post Civil War however, it has fallen into disarray and reflects the state of the County itself. People are no longer swayed by the old southern code of honor (Faulkner, 2000).
This change in environment plays a major role in the personality development for the character of Emily. Where she was once an honored citizen of her town and came from such an influential family that she was not even taxed by the authorities. However, the end of the Civil War was not the major reason for her being in isolation as she was in the beginning of the story. Rather her isolation was simply a form of evolution born out of her inherent reclusiveness. Where she was once privileged enough to enjoy offers from suitors who her father had to turn away. Now she was seen as a disgrace by the townspeople, she was humiliated when she had to accept a proposal from a man from the North in her desperation. She saw it as such a loss of honor that she ended up cutting her hair as a symbolic gesture of her fall from grace. In this way not only does the author provide a sense of progression for this character but also for the County itself (Faulkner, 2000).
Providing a perspective for a change in the County’s state, the author uses flashbacks and foreshadowing while presenting the story in a non chronological order. The story begins with Emily’s death and jumps back and forth creating tension and interest within the reader, as he learns the life and times of not only Emily Grierson but also of Jefferson County. Following this method of storytelling, the entire story is told via narration with the narrator being unnamed and being made to be perceived perhaps as the voice of an average citizen of Jefferson. It is through the eyes of an average town person that the nostalgia of Jefferson’s past and the current obsession with the main character of Emily are clearly shown and explored (Faulkner, 2000).
In Everyday Use by Alice Walker the story once again takes place in the Deep South. Though the actual area where it takes place is not mentioned.
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