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Literary Analysis of William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily The story of Emily is set in the little backwater town of Jefferson, full of very intrusive, nosy and ill-mannered hyper-vigilant townsfolk. The setting provides an angle that is meant to shape the reader’s mind to side with Emily’s plight. Starting from her death then flashing back into her life story, Faulkner builds a steady tempo which portrays Emily as a victim of circumstances, and her apparent rebellious nature after her father dies is seen as a natural consequence of the devastation she underwent emotionally and socially. This contextual setting not only creates the character roles for Emily, but it also raises a few questions. The conservative nature of the social period mystifies the path Emily takes. She had to have acquired some of her backbone rebellious nature from somewhere, and some scholars have speculated on abuse by her father which caused her to become mentally deranged and therefore developed originally dubious traits. William Faulkner stated that, "Homer Barron was a big, dark, ready man, with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face.". This insight into the motivation and social triggers that resulted in Emily’s intriguing and enigmatic story provide a window into what happens in any close-knit society. When the societal expectations smother individual development and snuff out the fundamental freedoms that are entitled to anyone, the resulting rebellious retaliation by the person will prove not only scandalous to said society but will also instigate some degree of fear and terror into the daily equation of the people around. Faulkner is very skilled at putting up convincing
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